Boston Red Sox: Stock rising for Drew Pomeranz
By Sean Penney
Drew Pomeranz has recovered from a rocky start to his tenure with the Boston Red Sox to show he can be a valuable part of this rotation.
So, how does Red Sox Nation feel about Drew Pomeranz now?
It took him six chances to do it, but Pomeranz finally earned his first win as a member of the Boston Red Sox. Not only that, but he did it on the road against a Cleveland Indians team that entered the day on Monday with the best winning percentage in the American League.
Pomeranz failed to make a great first impression following the mid-July trade that brought him over from the San Diego Padres in exchange for top pitching prospect, Anderson Espinoza. Despite that the talented lefty was fresh off his first All-Star appearance, Red Sox fans were quick to judge based on the results of a few rough starts as he adjusted to a new environment. Pomeranz was blasted for five runs in two of his first three starts, including a dreadful first appearance in a Red Sox uniform where he lasted only three innings. Even the one start in between where he pitched well, limiting a powerful Detroit Tigers lineup to two runs over six innings, he still was tagged with a loss.
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These initial results had fans bemoaning the trade without ever giving the 27-year old time to settle in. “This guy can’t pitch in the AL East,” they said, ignoring his solid numbers against teams in this division. “He’s a product of a National League pitcher’s park,” they cried, ignoring that his road numbers were even better than what he produced at Petco Park. “He’s not worth the price we paid!” Fine, the jury’s still out on this one since we don’t know what Espinoza will become, but for a team trying to win now, adding a solid middle of the rotation arm that remains cost controlled for multiple seasons seems like a gamble worth taking.
Pomeranz has started proving his doubters wrong since the calendar flipped to August. Over his last three starts he is 1-0 with a 2.37 ERA to go along with 17 strikeouts in 19 innings. Small sample size, you say? Sure, but so was the first three starts that prompted many fans to grab their pitchforks.
Monday’s start marked the first time in his career that Pomeranz has pitched into the eighth inning. Manager John Farrell left him in the game one batter too long, lifting him only after Rajai Davis lined an RBI double to cut the lead to 3-2. It was a bit surprising that Farrell didn’t turn to Brad Ziegler to face Davis, but the manager’s lapse in judgement shouldn’t overshadow Pomeranz’s brilliance on the mound prior to that final batter he faced.
A career-high 7 2/3 innings on an efficient 104 pitches remains an accomplishment for the young pitcher, one that he was eager to finally reach.
"“That’s kind of a personal goal that I had this year, to get deeper into games,” Pomeranz told ESPN’s Scott Lauber. “Finally got in there. It almost gave me a second wind, being excited to get out there for the eighth finally.”"
The Red Sox intend to be cautious with his workload given that Pomeranz has already blown by his career-high with 135 1/3 innings and counting. Bouncing between the rotation and bullpen over the last three seasons has prevented him from building a high innings total, so we can’t expect him to suddenly become a workhorse in his first full season as a starter. The Red Sox aren’t expected to put an innings cap on him the way teams often do with younger pitchers, but they also don’t want to be reckless.
This last start gives Pomeranz something to build on. It’s his first win in a Red Sox uniform, but there will be many more to come. He has led the Red Sox to a promising start to a difficult road trip that has the potential to make or break this season. If Pomeranz keeps this up then fans may find themselves pleasantly surprised with the new addition to the rotation.