A Wise Decision
In summation, given the fact that this was Pomeranz’s first start in nearly two weeks, that he was pitching in front of the home crowd, desperately anxious to show the Red Sox fans that he was worth the relinquishing of Anderson Espinoza, and the fact that this game was on ESPN are all reasonable explanations for his poor performance. In addition, he has pitched for the Rockies, Athletics, and Padres; none of which ever draws the type of crowds to which he was exposed on Wednesday night at Fenway.
Even more comforting is that he has faced the Giants on three occasions this season, allowing 5 ER and 13 H in 17.1 IP. Thus, we already know that he can pitch well against the Giants; had he been obliterated by Toronto one might wonder if he was capable of pitching well against AL East opponents, although I would still advise against judging a pitcher based on a single performance. Plus, Pomeranz already has a record of accomplishment of pitching admirably against AL East opponents as mentioned above and he is going to pitch well for this club.
Next: Red Sox: The Brock Star is back
Pomeranz is under club control until the end of the 2018 campaign, meaning that we did not relinquish our best pitching prospect for a three-month rental. Given that this was not the case for other attainable options on the trade market, the Pomeranz trade should prove to be a wise decision by the Red Sox.