Sox starting to feel good
Rotation on historic roll entering off day
Well before David Price took the mound last night, the Red Sox had already felt like they accomplished enough this weekend to feel good about themselves.
They had banked a lot of positive feelings over the previous 14 games since the All-Star break.
And they’ve been doing it with their starting rotation, which entered the night with a 1.65 ERA since the midsummer break.
Price’s results weren’t going to change that.
“At the end of the day, (today) is a great off day for everybody,” manager Alex Cora said. “That’s the way I see it. It’s been a tough week. Trading deadline, obviously what happened in Miami (when Cora’s best friend’s son, Ari Arteaga, died in a car crash), playing these guys (the Yankees), obviously looking forward to David pitching. But then when the game is over, hop on the plane and enjoy the off day.
“We needed it. We need this off day.”
They need it to rest, not because they aren’t playing well.
It’s been 99 years since Red Sox starters posted a streak as good as the one they were on entering yesterday.
“I feel like we all feed off each other,” newcomer Nathan Eovaldi said after his gem on Saturday.
Sox starters have allowed zero or one earned run in 10 of the 14 games since the break. And five of those outings came from depth starter Brian Johnson and the struggling Drew Pomeranz.
And the Red Sox are only getting deeper.
The dominance has come mostly from Chris Sale, but Rick Porcello showed on Friday that he’s very capable of throwing a gem. And Eovaldi hasn’t allowed a run in two starts since joining the Red Sox.
Sale won’t pitch again until after the Sox’ upcoming series with the Toronto Blue Jays, instead getting extra rest while on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation.
But it’s not hard to imagine a playoff series that features Sale as the No. 1 starter and whoever is pitching best behind him. There will be options.
It’s looking more likely that Pomeranz is going to end up in the bullpen, where he pitched well for the Oakland A’s in 2014-15. He volunteered to pitch out of the ’pen this weekend, to which Cora said, “cool,” and immediately moved him there, though Pomeranz was never used.
His velocity is still stuck in the high-80s, his command remains inconsistent and as soon as the Red Sox have a better option, Pomeranz should be tried out of relief.
And eventually Eduardo Rodriguez is coming back.
Rodriguez threw a bullpen session yesterday for the first time since suffering serious ligament damage in his right ankle, the landing ankle for a lefthanded pitcher. He threw 25-30 pitches while Rafael Devers stood in to watch. Devers later told Rodriguez he looked great.
“That was impressive, honestly,” Cora said.
Said Rodriguez: “My ankle is really good, feels great, feels fine throwing the ball. That was the test today, how I would land on it and everything. Feels really good.”
He wasn’t sure if he would return before Sept. 1, but if the rotation is still rolling by then, maybe the Sox will give Rodriguez a try out of relief instead of waiting for him to build up 80-100 pitches again.
The Sox still don’t have a trusty left-hander in the bullpen. It was just five years ago that Felix Doubront moved to the ’pen to play a key role in the Sox’ run to a World Series title, throwing seven strong postseason innings and allowing just one run on three hits.
“I want to be available as a starter,” Rodriguez said. “But if they put me in the bullpen or wherever they put me, I’m going to go out there and pitch.”
The Red Sox are starting to resemble a team similar to the 2016 Cubs, whose starting rotation hit a groove in the second half and led the majors with a 2.80 ERA after the All-Star break.
They had a 2.60 ERA in the postseason as the Cubs took home the trophy.
The Sox haven’t scored much since the break, but their starting pitching can carry them.
“They’ve given us a chance to win on a nightly basis,” Cora said. “And I do feel offensively we will score runs, it’s just a matter of time. We try to put pressure on the opposition to score runs.
“But what we’re doing, it seems like they’re always ahead in the count, they’re putting the opposition in the corner 0-1, 0-2, 1-2. And at this level, the average goes way down when you’re in those counts. So they’re doing an outstanding job working ahead. They’ve been very efficient.”