Working out the kinks
Despite the fact that the PawSox were rained out Sunday, rehabbing pitcher David Price got some work in at McCoy, throwing 75 pitches in a simulated game.
PAWTUCKET – Blake Swihart stepped into the batter’s box against David Price at the beginning of spring training during live batting practice. Sunday, inside the batting tunnel at McCoy Stadium, Swihart once again had a bat in his hands with Price standing on the mound.
On this day, Swihart was asked to track pitches after Price’s scheduled rehab start with the PawSox was postponed due to rain and wet grounds. From the catcher’s vantage point, the Price he was asked to provide some semblance of a live hitter against looked fine.
Given the hold-your-breath vibe that has hung over Price and his left elbow strain since early March, the observations made by Swihart certainly hold plenty of merit.
“He looked like he did back then, if not better,” Swihart said. “His ball had really good movement. There was a lot of life behind his pitches. He spotted up really well.”
Price threw five innings and 75 pitches during his simulated game, which consisted of facing Swihart and outfielder Aneury Tavarez. PawSox manager Kevin Boles was tasked with calling balls and strikes. Dan Butler was the catcher with Swihart claiming that he hit a double off the Green Monster as part of Sunday’s make-the-best-of-it situation.
“Every pitch he threw was crisp. The main thing is that he felt great coming out of it.” – Kevin Boles on David Price
“The elbow feels good,” Price said. “I have no complaints.”
Added Butler, “The two-seamer was moving and the cutter was good. Every pitch he threw was crisp. The main thing is that he felt great coming out of it.”
Price’s next step in the rehab process will take him to Buffalo for a start on Friday night. Asked if he’s optimistic that will be the lone start he has to make with the PawSox, Price said, “You’ll have to ask (Red Sox manager John Farrell). I don’t make the rules.”
Price said he threw all the pitches in his repertoire to both sides of the plate. At times, he pitched out of the stretch. Wearing No. 17 for Pawtucket – reliever Noe Ramirez has No. 24 – Price adhered to an in-between innings break schedule that ranged between six to eight minutes. Butler noted that Price shook him off several times.
“We treated it like a real game,” Price said. “I’ve got a good idea of what’s a strike, but I’ll let [Boles and PawSox pitching coach Bob Kipper] call them.”
“You’re in a cage so you’re doing the best you can, but we were keeping counts. You spread out so you make it as realistic as possible, but he was definitely focused in that regard,” Boles said. “His fastball had a downward angle while his cutter went in against the right-handed hitter. He threw some pretty good breaking balls and was pounding the zone. It was impressive.”
Price was already wearing a PawSox cap and batting practice jersey when 10 a.m. rolled around. The determination to postpone Sunday’s game was made around noontime – 90 minutes before the scheduled first pitch. Boles and Kipper walked around the outfield prior to the announcement.
Once the game against Rochester was called off, it was off to Plan B for Price, who began his simulated game shortly after 1 p.m. and concluded it around 2:30.
“If we held off (Sunday), I would have pitched outside (Monday), but we wanted to stay on a program of once every five days,” Price said. “To come [to McCoy Stadium] and get the work in, even if the weather didn’t cooperate, was good.”
Price came into Sunday with a couple of on-field simulated games under his belt, the latest one coming last week while Boston was in Milwaukee. The signs of encouragement have been there for some time now and that’s all the left-handed pitcher who’s in the second year of a seven-year, $217-million contract with Boston is preoccupied with.
“If I didn’t feel confident in my abilities to go out there and pitch well, I wouldn’t do it,” Price said. “I wouldn’t put myself or the team at risk. We’ve taken a good amount of time since it happened on March 2, but I feel like I’m ready to go.”