Red Sox Strut: Outfielder Mookie Betts, RHP Hector Velazquez
By Sean Penney
Pitcher who gets to Strut
The last thing that the Red Sox needed coming off of consecutive extra-innings affairs was for their starter to be knocked out of the game early. They called up Hector Velazquez for bullpen depth just in case – a move that ended up saving the series.
Brian Johnson got the nod that day, only to exit early with an arm injury after being tagged for three runs in the third inning. An overworked bullpen needed someone to pick them up and that’s exactly what Velazquez did.
A six-run shellacking in Oakland last month sent Velazquez packing back to Triple-A. Now he was being called upon for extended relief in a game where the rest of the bullpen needed a break.
All Velazquez managed to do was hold the Phillies scoreless over 3 1/3 innings to halt their comeback attempt, stealing a win from an injured starter who didn’t last long enough to earn it. Velazquez allowed only one hit and one walk, while striking out two.
Philadelphia managed to avoid a sweep with a win on Thursday but imagine how this series would be viewed if Velazquez couldn’t stop the bleeding. If he comes in and blows the lead, Boston ends up splitting a four game series against a last place Phillies team.
With Johnson landing on the disabled list following that game, Velazquez will take his spot in the rotation on Monday when the Red Sox head to Kansas City. It’s possible that his last appearance was a fluke and this start will be much closer to the ugly outing in Oakland. As well as he pitched in Philadelphia, he’s earned the chance to find out.