Rotation has something to prove
Starters not a strength for Red Sox
Do the Red Sox need more starting pitching before the 2020 MLB season begins on July 24?
Are baseballs made of cowhide, yarn and rubber-coated cork?
Chances are, you know the answer to both those questions. So does Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke, who took a round-about, extra-gentle way of saying so when asked about it Sunday.
“It’s hard to say you ever feel really comfortable with all the starting pitching you have,” he said. “Rarely do you have six, seven, eight starters you feel great about. And you know you’re not going to use just five guys. That doesn’t happen in today’s game. So you’re never comfortable with enough starters.”
Let’s recount how many starters the Red Sox have: one, Nathan Eovaldi; two, Martin Perez; three, Ryan Weber; four, Brian Johnson; five, nobody else.
It’d be great if the Red Sox had six, seven or eight starters they felt great about. But goodness gracious, at this point you’d think the poor manager would collect quarters on the sidewalk if it meant the team could add just one or two more starters for him to use. How did they get here?
The Sox stayed in contact with Rick Porcello this winter, but let the Mets sign him for $10 million and went the cheaper option with Perez ($6 million), who hasn’t yet looked good in spring training, nor in intrasquad games, and has been among the worst in the big leagues at striking people out in his career.
The Sox traded David Price and half of his contract to the Dodgers along with Mookie Betts.
Chris Sale needed Tommy John surgery, one that didn’t seem particularly surprising given the way last year ended, and is out for the season.
Eduardo Rodriguez has the coronavirus and has yet to report to camp.
Rookie lefty Darwinzon Hernandez, who looked like a candidate to be the opener in the fifth spot, also has the coronavirus.
Eovaldi and Perez are the only proven starters left. Weber has pleasantly surprised and should be interesting in the third spot, but with his career numbers (5.04 ERA), it’s a stretch to call him a comfortable third starter.
That leaves Johnson in the four spot after he missed most of last year with an elbow injury and some personal, undisclosed issues.
Johnson, the former first-round pick who was an unsung hero in 2018, is now 29 years old and is still throwing the same fastball-curve combination that helped him get to the big leagues. He made it look easy against teammates during three scoreless innings of intrasquad work on Sunday.
Roenicke said he’s a candidate for the four spot. Johnson is just happy to be in the big leagues after getting removed from the roster this offseason.
“I would be lying if I said no,” he said. “It kind of gives you that chip on the shoulder, a little bit of extra motivation. I don’t think there is ever a time when you’re in the majors you get complacent. But having that happen lit a fire and showed I needed to prove something.”
The whole rotation does. “Certainly when I talk about our loss of a couple guys, it makes a big difference,” Roenicke said. “Trade David, lose Chris, Eddie will be back but it’s a question of when. Anytime you lose that many starting pitchers, it’s hard to replace those guys. So of course, any starting pitching that’s out there, quality starters, I’m sure our people are looking at it.”
Roenicke said he’ll be meeting with chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom on Monday to discuss how the team will use the remaining spots on the full 60-man roster for the 2020 season. He’s expecting some combination of bringing in guys from outside the organization and asking their own prospects to join them in camp.
Some other observations from Sunday’s intrasquad game and manager session with Roenicke:
1. Alex Verdugo is still getting adjusted to right field at Fenway. He had a questionable line drive go over his head and stumbled to chase after it. His throw to the infield landed about 30 feet short.
2. Michael Chavis made a beautiful diving catch at second base, where he’s looked better than anticipated since his arrival in the bigs last spring.
3. J.D. Martinez hit his second homer of the intrasquad games, a moonshot off Kyle Hart. He typically has been a slow starter and hates spring training, but Roenicke said he’s locked in.
4. Collin McHugh, the right-hander brought in after a nice career with the Astros, is still working through elbow issues. He has yet to begin a regular throwing program and is still being treated as if he’s rehabbing his arm, Roenicke said.
5. Brandon Workman struggled in an inning of work and has yet to look smooth since returning to camp. Roenicke isn’t concerned because “it’s location. The ball is coming out fine.”
6. Tzu-Wei Lin started playing first base to make him a full seven-position utility man. The idea is to use Lin as a pinch-runner in the event of extra innings this year, which will begin with the batter who made the last out in the previous inning starting the 10th on second base.
7. The Sox will play their intrasquad game at 10:30 a.m. on Monday to avoid the rain. They’re planning on starting games in the evening beginning on Friday.