An undeserving chance
Cora gives Price a shot but for what?
What’s gotten into Alex Cora? After mopping the floor all season long and then throughout the Division Series with his espressocharged decisions and moves, Cora woke up at the dawn of an ALCS against an Astros team that is a far more dangerous foe than the Yankees, and what does he order?
RED SOX BEAT Michael Silverman
Herbal tea and a start from David Price in Game 2.
No knock against decaffeinated drinks, in general, but this is October and these times call for paying bright-eyed attention to what’s worked and what hasn’t and to make big, bold and brave moves, you know, the kind Cora kept making in the Division Series, like pitching Rick Porcello and Chris Sale in relief, and first sitting, then starting, then sitting again Brock Holt.
Cora seized those opportunities, made the tough decisions and went with the best man available.
What reason has Price given Cora to get dreamyeyed and nostalgic now of all times?
When asked yesterday if he had taken into account Price’s shoddy performance in Game 2 against the Yankees and his horrible track record in 10 postseason starts before making his decision, Cora turned almost sentimental.
“I trust the guy,” was how Cora summed up his reasoning.
Wow!
Since when did faith come before reason in Red Sox land?
Cora does not want to factor in his and our freshest memory with Price, who was pummeled by the Yankees in 12⁄3 innings, giving up three runs, two homers, two walks and striking out nobody last Saturday. It was postseason start No. 10 for Price, and wound up being his 10th in a row without a win, an effort that allowed him to reach new October ERA heights of 6.03.
After all, said Cora, Price pitched poorly all season long against the Yankees. So apparently, that effort was expected.
“I mean, the whole season he kind of struggled against the Yankees,” said Cora. “It just seems like as far as game-planning or matching up with them, it didn’t work this year, that’s the way I see it.”
If that’s the way Cora sees it now, he should have seen it then, too, when planning the rotation against the Yankees, because you definitely want the guy who’s struggled against them and in the playoffs in general to make the start against them in the playoffs.
By the time Price left the mound in the second inning, the hopes and prayers of fans had turned to boos and then a loss.
In spite of it, the Red Sox recovered and here they are, in a seven-game series with the Astros and their gifted, dangerous lineup that, like the Yankees, is right-handed heavy and deeper.
Cora could have used the two starters who dominated the Yankees, Nathan Eovaldi and Rick Porcello, in Games 2 and 3, use Price out of the bullpen in those games and then bided his time about making Game 4 a bullpen game that could have included Price in a prominent role.
But no, instead he went the safer, mushier route and stuck with Price as a starter.
The reason, Cora reasoned, was that Price pitched effectively against the Astros last year in the playoffs — as a reliever, mind you — and also because he pitched well enough against them in two starts this season.
Cora went even further back, to June 2017 when Price was starting. He went five innings, and allowed three runs on eight hits, an effort Cora remembers as “he pitched well. I saw him in the playoffs against the Astros. He pitched well. This year, he pitched in Houston that Saturday, he pitched well against them. He pitched here against the Astros, and pitched well again, so I know how good he is. I know he’s pitched well against them. I trust the guy.”
Cora again referred to last October as more relevant than this October when insisting that Price throw the first pitch of a game versus later.
“I saw what happened last year against the Astros. He was actually the best pitcher in that series last year,” said Cora. “I know he was coming out of the bullpen but what he did was good to see, now. I think he’s going to make some adjustments and he’ll be fine.”
As for those adjustments, Cora said Price needs to surprise batters with his pitches, mix up his repertoire and his location, and keep the opposition guessing more.
“Like I told him, ‘Don’t forget that part of you. You are diverse and we can attack guys in different ways,’ ” said Cora. “We’ll see how it goes.”
We all will, not that we have a choice about it. Cora did have a choice.
Out of character, he kept his trust in somebody who has not earned it.