Red Sox looking for a pitcher to grab No. 5 starter role

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The No. 5 spot in the Boston Red Sox rotation is up for grabs, with the team hoping they can fill that void internally.

Aug 9, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell (53) in the dugout before the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 9, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell (53) in the dugout before the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

How long can a team get by with only four starting pitchers in their rotation? The Boston Red Sox may be wishing that plan could last through the rest of the season to avoid having to solve their current dilemma.

Thanks to a few fortuitously placed breaks in the schedule, the Red Sox won’t actually need a fifth starter until June 18, giving them another two weeks to sort through their options. That buys them some additional time to evaluate the pitchers contending for that spot in hopes that one of them will separate themselves from the competition.

There are several choices to choose from, none of whom are all that appealing based on what we’ve seen this season. Manager John Farrell expects to find their fifth starter from within the organization, but needs someone to step up and show they deserve that opportunity.

“Yes, the candidate pool is going to be internal,” Farrell confirmed to reporters on Friday, per MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “Clay, Elias, Joe Kelly, Henry Owens — someone grab it.”

The gauntlet has been thrown down. Farrell is challenging the pitchers in the Red Sox organization – you want the job? Come and get it. The next two weeks will be an audition for these pitchers to show why they deserve to be selected to start for this team.

Let’s take a look at the four candidates Farrell called out to examine the likelihood that they’ll be called upon to make a start a couple weeks from now.

Next: Joe Kelly

Joe Kelly

Mar 29, 2016; Fort Myers, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Joe Kelly (56) delivers a pitch during the second inning against the Minnesota Twins at CenturyLink Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 29, 2016; Fort Myers, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Joe Kelly (56) delivers a pitch during the second inning against the Minnesota Twins at CenturyLink Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

Kelly is the latest pitcher to get bounced from the Red Sox rotation, as he was optioned to Pawtucket immediately after failing to make it out of the third inning in his last start on June 1.

A promising outing in his first appearance since returning from the disabled list last month was spoiled when Kelly followed it by allowing 12 earned runs in 7 innings covering his last two starts. He couldn’t locate his fastball and struggled to get a feel for his breaking pitches, which are issues that have plagued him throughout his inconsistent career.

Earlier this week I suggested that the Red Sox may have finally had enough of Kelly after his latest meltdown pushed his ERA to an atrocious 8.46, which would easily rank last in the majors if he had enough innings to qualify. His demotion to Triple-A may have been a signal that he had spoiled his last chance to be a part of this team.

Farrell indicated that Kelly is still in the mix for the No. 5 spot, but perhaps the team would be better served moving him to the bullpen.

“He’ll go down and start for now, depending on who grabs that fifth spot and runs with it,” Farrell said when asked about Kelly’s role. “He is a power arm, but if his presence in the bullpen would be considered and looked at as an upgrade, I don’t think we would rule that out.”

Kelly would need to put together a few impressive starts in Pawtucket to work his way back into serious consideration. He would appear to be a long shot to be given another chance so soon, but a future in the bullpen could be a more appealing way to get him back in the big leagues.

Chances at being No. 5: Slim to none

Next: Roenis Elias

Roenis Elias

Mar 8, 2016; Sarasota, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Roenis Elias (29) throws a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 8, 2016; Sarasota, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Roenis Elias (29) throws a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

The 27-year old lefty has only made one appearance for the Red Sox since being acquired over the winter, along with Carson Smith, in the Wade Miley trade. That outing came in relief, and… it could have gone better. Elias coughed up 3 runs on four hits and a pair of walks in 1.2 innings before taking the shuttle back to Pawtucket.

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So his first stint in Boston didn’t end well, but he does have a track record of moderate success as a starter at the big league level. Elias started 49 games for the Seattle Mariners over the past two seasons, posting a 3.99 ERA. Before you jump to the argument that he benefited from calling home to a far more pitcher-friendly stadium in Seattle than the one he will contend with in Boston, note that his career numbers are actually slightly better on the road.

The results so far in Pawtucket have been disappointing, as Elias is 2-3 with a 4.60 ERA and 1.67 WHIP at the Triple-A level this year. If he’s posting those kind of numbers against minor league hitters, it doesn’t inspire much confidence that he’s ready to compete in the majors. However, he has struck out 45 batters in 45 innings and shown some improvement of late.

“Wouldn’t rule him out,” Farrell said of Elias. “He’s coming off a couple of outings where he’s thrown the ball very well. You see the strikeouts spike at Triple-A, and for a guy that’s got the number of starts at the Major League level, you’d like to see him dominate that level, because that kind of coincides with the ability that he has. So he would certainly be a candidate for that start on the 18th and beyond.”

Farrell won’t rule him out, so neither will we, but Elias needs to continue to show improvement in the minors before he can be trusted in the Red Sox rotation.

Chances at being No. 5: It’s possible

Next: Henry Owens

Henry Owens

Aug 16, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Henry Owens (60) delivers against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 16, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Henry Owens (60) delivers against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /

In the time that it takes you to read this slide, there’s a good chance that Owens will have walked another batter.

An inability to find the strike zone is what has held Owens back from reaching the lofty potential we once saw in him. He was already given a shot in the rotation earlier this year, but in this three starts he walked a baffling 13 batters in only 12.1 innings. No wonder he owns a 5.11 ERA and failed to go deep into games.

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The results have been slightly better in Pawtucket, where he is 4-2 with a 3.86 ERA, while striking out nearly a batter per inning this season. The issue again comes back to the walks though. Owens has issued 30 free passes in only 44.1 innings, which isn’t a pace that can continue if he wants to make it back to the big leagues.

He’s still only 23 years old and has tantalizing talent, but he needs to prove he can harness it. Owens will certainly get another chance to pitch at the major league level again at some point, but two weeks may not be enough time for him to prove he has fixed his control issues.

Chances at being No. 5: Walking slowly back toward the majors

Next: Clay Buchholz

Clay Buchholz

May 26, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Clay Buchholz (11) watches as Colorado Rockies catcher Dustin Garneau (13) rounds the bases after hitting a two run homer in the fifth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
May 26, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Clay Buchholz (11) watches as Colorado Rockies catcher Dustin Garneau (13) rounds the bases after hitting a two run homer in the fifth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /

As frustrating as Buchholz can be, he’s likely the best choice out of this uninspiring crop of pitchers to end up with the fifth starter spot.

His spot in the rotation was already taken away from him once, after Buchholz posted a brutal 6.35 ERA through 10 starts. His ineffectiveness got him banished to the bullpen, where a sulking Buchholz hasn’t performed any better.

Buchholz actually earned the win in his first relief appearance of the season when he pitched a scoreless 10th inning against the Toronto Blue Jays. It was almost ironic that he earned a win out the bullpen after winning only 2 games all season as a starter. Any ideas that this new role may agree with him were quickly wiped out, as three days later Buchholz was knocked around for 4 runs  (3 earned) in 3.1 innings against the Baltimore Orioles.

If the experiment of turning Buchholz into a long reliever doesn’t pan out, the Red Sox don’t have a lot of options left beyond designating him for assignment. One of the primary reasons why that hasn’t happened already is that the team knows they may need to turn back to Buchholz to fill a void in the rotation at some point. That point may be coming sooner than we had hoped.

At least with Buchholz we know he’s capable of pitching at this level. It certainly hasn’t happened this season, but we’ve seen it before. His stuff can be as dominant as almost anyone’s, but with him it’s all mental. When he’s focused, he can still help this team.

Did the demotion to the bullpen shatter his fragile ego beyond repair, or was it the motivation he needed to straighten himself out? The Red Sox are hoping it’s the latter.

Ideally the front office will explore the trade market to find a proven starter that can pair with David Price at the top of the rotation, rather than sorting through a pile of garbage to find the piece that stinks the least. There are bound to be some enticing options available that the Red Sox should target, but the team is intent on filling the back end of the rotation internally first, buying them more time to explore the market heading toward the trade deadline.

Next: Prospect Watch

Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski doesn’t want to rush into making a deal out of desperation, so in the meantime they have to try to make due with the options they have already in their system.  Hopefully the challenge issued by Farrell sets off a spark that ignites one of these pitchers, pushing someone to break free from the group to grab this opportunity.

Otherwise, it’s looking like Buchholz will be back in the rotation by default.

Chances at being No. 5: Better than they should be

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