Bullpen tandem in need of relief
RED SOX NOTEBOOK
With the July 31 MLB trade deadline getting closer and the Red Sox trying to determine their most pressing needs, each outing by Junichi Tazawa and Koji Uehara is becoming mustwatch baseball.
Rarely have both of them struggled simultaneously, but after three years of being two of the most-used relievers in the game, that time has come.
Tazawa allowed two more runs on three hits in the seventh inning of the Red Sox’ 10-5 win against the Los Angeles Angels yesterday. His fastball averaged just 92.9 mph, his second-lowest number of the season, according to Brooks Baseball.
“I think part of it was some unlucky hit balls,” said Tazawa, who has pitched in four of the last eight games. “They weren’t exactly hard-hit but I think I was too much in the strike zone and that was probably one reason I struggled.”
Rough outings from Tazawa and Uehara have become the norm over the last four weeks.
In his past 122⁄ innings, Tazawa has allowed 10 earned runs (7.11 ERA) on 15 hits, including three homers, with three walks and 12 strikeouts. He had allowed just three earned runs in his previous 192⁄ innings (1.37 ERA).
“I think the problem is sometimes I get behind in the count and that contributes to some of the bad outings I’ve had,” he said. “I feel fine, body-wise, but like (yesterday), there were some outings where balls are falling and that takes away from the moment. I’ll try to minimize the damage and go from there.”
Uehara threw a clean inning yesterday, his third straight scoreless outing, but he’s still allowed 11 earned runs on 17 hits, including six home runs, in his last 16 innings (6.19 ERA).
With Carson Smith recovering from Tommy John surgery, the Red Sox have no other proven options for the set-up role. Heath Hembree, Matt Barnes and Robbie Ross Jr. have each had stretches of dominance, but all three have been inconsistent.
At 41 years old, Uehara has often struggled to control his signature splitter. Manager John Farrell has pointed to age as a contributing factor.
The 30-year-old Tazawa could simply be tired.
Overall this season, Tazawa’s average fastball velocity of 93.9 mph is his lowest since he had Tommy John surgery in 2010, though he still has 37 strikeouts in 322⁄ innings, the highest strikeout rate of his career.
Despite being held out of the final month of the regular season last year, Tazawa remains one of the most frequently used pitchers in the majors, having made a team-leading 35 appearances this year.
“Even though there are some games where I might not get into the games, I’ve been warming up in the bullpen,” Tazawa said. “So if you count that, I’ve been in about half of the games.”
Lots in reserve
The backup catcher continues to produce.
Sandy Leon was 2-for-4 with three more RBI and is up to 16-for-35 with nine RBI in 14 games. His two-run double with two outs in the fifth inning was inches away from clearing the Green Monster.
With Ryan Hanigan expected to return from the 15-day disabled list soon, Leon’s success could potentially cause the team to send Christian Vazquez back to Triple A.
“The way (Leon’s) produced offensively, the way he’s handled things from a defensive end, the way he throws and potential to throw people out — yeah, he’s earning more playing time as we go,” Farrell said.
No ill effects
Playing through concussion symptoms hasn’t seemed to affect Brock Holt any.
In his second game since returning from a six-week absence, Holt was 2-for-4 with a walk and went 4-for-8 in the series.
Farrell said Holt, playing left field, has given the team a spark.
“I’ve been feeling good,” Holt said. “Hopefully I’ll keep moving forward and keep contributing when I’m in there. I’ve been feeling good these last few days. Even on my rehab assignment I was feeling good as well.” . . .
Brennan Boesch, who was having a strong spring training before he broke his wrist, returned to Triple-A Pawtucket over the weekend.
With limited outfield depth, the Sox could eventually call on Boesch, perhaps to replace Ryan LaMarre on the roster until Chris Young or Blake Swihart is ready to return. Over parts of six major league seasons, Boesch, 31, is a .250 hitter with a .703 OPS.
Shaw’s closed
Travis Shaw was out of the lineup after making two errors at third base Saturday.
“Chance to get a set of fresh legs on the field with Marco ( Hernandez), who has done a solid job at third base, so we’re rotating guys through,” Farrell said. Hernandez went 2-for-3 with a walk. “I think the more games he’s played, the more reps he gets, the more the game is slowing down for him, both at the plate and defensively,” Farrell said of Hernandez.
Shaw was not used off the bench and thus snapped his streak of 134 consecutive games played, the longest streak by a Red Sox player since second baseman Dustin Pedroia played in 148 straight in 2011-12.