David Price continues to struggle as Red Sox fall 8-2 to Yankees

Red Sox “ace” David Price allowed six runs in 4.2 innings of work. Is it time to start worrying about him?

After a horrendous loss that included David Ortiz exploding against an umpire, the Red Sox were trying to bounce back with their ace on the mound. David Price made his debut in the rivalry last Sunday, pitching seven innings and allowing six runs getting away with the win after the Red Sox rallied in the seventh inning. It wasn’t what you would call a quality start and it raised question marks about Price not being the ace the Red Sox are paying him to be.

The Red Sox offense attacked first in the second inning after Brock Holt scored Hanley Ramirez with a single. Price looked pretty decent for the first three innings, even though he allowed a run in the bottom half of the third by giving up a single to Chase Headley and a double to Austin Romine. 

Things got ugly in the bottom half of the fourth after Price gave up a bases-clearing double to Didi Gregorius that gave the Yankees a 4-1 lead. Jackie Bradley Jr. cut the Yankees’ lead to 4-2 with a solo shot to right field, but it was the last run the Red Sox scored.

Price struggles were more noticeable in the fifth inning when he issued back-to-back walks to Aaron Hicks and Starlin Castro. After Mark Teixeira struck out, Carlos Beltran scored Hicks and Castro on a double that boosted the Yankees’ lead to 6-2. John Farrell wasted no time on replacing Price and quickly brought in Matt Barnes to end the inning.

The Yankees scored two more runs in the sixth and seventh inning, killing the Red Sox hopes for a comeback.

This was Price’s first loss of the season, but he still ended the game with a 6.75 ERA which is the third-highest of the American League, only behind Angels’ Matt Shoemaker (who was sent down to AAA a few days ago) with 9.15 and Royals’ Kris Medlen with a 6.85.

The biggest problem now seems to be his fastball that today stood between 92-93 mph. According to @redsoxstats, Price’s hardest pitch today was at 93.54, the lowest in a game in his career.

Last month the excuse was that Price is historically bad in April and even though we are barely on May 7th, it is now fair to ask if there’s something wrong with the lefty. Farrell said after the game that physically he is alright and that both are aware of the dip in his velocity.

Game notes:

• Price only has 14 starts in his career in which he has allowed six runs or more. Three have come with the Red Sox in the last 20 days.
• Bradley Jr. is now second in the Red Sox in extra-base hits, only behind David Ortiz.
• After it was speculated that John Farell was going to be suspended today after not leaving the dugout when the umpire ejected him last night, he was the manager for today’s game.

Price continues to be a problem for the Red Sox, when he should be the solution. It is May 7th and the best pitchers in the Red Sox are Rick Porcello and Steven Wright. Personally, I don’t have nothing against Porcello and Wright and I’m glad that they are pitching that way, but Price should at least be better than them.

It is hard for a baseball offense to score more runs when your pitcher is getting hammered, but the Red Sox shouldn’t be scoring two runs against Nathan Eovaldi.