SOX: HIT OR MISS
Continued struggles vs. quality pitching doesn’t bode well for postseason:
And that, right there, should be everyone’s biggest fear about the Red Sox this postseason.
After a string of incredibly favorable matchups — How, exactly, does a team face the Giants, Dodgers, and White Sox without drawing Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw or Chris Sale? — the Sox dug in against a pitcher they probably will need to beat come October, and it did not go well.
Right-hander Doug Fister is probably the thirdbest starter on the Tigers, behind 19-1 Max Scherzer (tonight’s starter), and AL ERA leader Anibal Sanchez. That notably leaves him ahead of former MVP Justin Verlander.
Fister is the definition of crafty, relying on a cutter, curve and changeup every bit as much as a fastball that rarely reaches 90 mph and sits comfortably in the 88-89 mph range.
He was too much for the Red Sox to handle yesterday in Detroit’s 3-0 victory. He limited the Sox to four hits over seven shutout innings before handing the ball to flamethrowing reliever Bruce Rondon, who hit 102 mph in the eighth, and fill-in closer Jose Veras, who shut the door in the ninth,
And so we are once again left to ponder the October viability of an offense that may rank second to the Tigers in the AL in runs, but has now been shut out 11 times, second worst only to the Astros (12).
“It’s hard to explain,” said catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. “It just kind of happens. Can’t put a finger on it. We still had a good approach, we just couldn’t get any runs. That’s just he way it goes sometimes.”
The Red Sox’ struggles against the best pitchers on rival staffs are welldocumented. They are 4-16 in games started by the top two pitchers on the other AL playoff contenders (Tampa Bay, Baltimore, Detroit, Oakland and Texas), and that’s not including what Fister did to them yesterday, since we’re listing him as Detroit’s No. 3 or No. 4.
‘It’s hard to explain. It just kind of happens.’ — JARROD SALTALAMACCHIA On Sox’ offensive troubles
At least yesterday’s loss marked a slight change. Against the likes of Baltimore’s Chris Tillman or Oakland’s Bartolo Colon, the Sox have swung early in the count, rather than letting their patient approach land them in a bunch of 0-2 and 1-2 holes.
They at least made Fister work. He threw 112 pitches and walked four, but was helped immensely by three double plays.
“I don’t think we need to change our approach, because we got the guys on, but he executed those pitches when he had to,” said outfielder Daniel Nava, who reached base four times (3-for-3, walk). “It’s just unfortunate that those balls found gloves and those gloves meant double plays.”
That’s all well and good, but no matter how you get to the bottom line, it ultimately speaks for itself. And the better the pitcher, the quieter the Red Sox offense. This flies during the season, when there’s more than enough bad pitching to go around, but come the playoffs, the staffs get deeper, the challenges get greater, and the Red Sox will need to step to the plate.
“A big part of our game is to grind out at-bats and drive up pitch counts,” said manager John Farrell. “We did it again today. We created those opportunities and it didn’t come into play or get a key base hit, but there’s been other games we’ve shown a willingness to swing the bat earlier in the count when a pitcher dictates that he’s been in command right from the first pitch of the given at-bat. I think we’re well aware of the type of team we are and what our strengths are.”
Is one of those strengths giving themselves a chance against elite pitching?
Right now, the answer is no, and the Red Sox have a month to make it a yes.