Red Sox Strut: First baseman Mitch Moreland, RHP Doug Fister
By Sean Penney
Pitching Candidates
Drew Pomeranz earned his 13th win of the season by blanking the Indians over 5 1/3 innings. Four walks contributed to an early hook, but Big Smooth struck out nine while outdueling Cy Young candidate Corey Kluber. Pomeranz is now third in the league in wins, fifth in ERA and eighth in K/9 rate. He’s been one of the league’s best pitchers in the second half, posting a 2.35 ERA since the break while piling up seven wins without a loss.
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There were no save opportunities this week, but Craig Kimbrel still made a couple of appearances. He tossed a pair of scoreless innings, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out four.
The Red Sox pitching staff was hemorrhaging runs in Friday’s embarrassing loss to Baltimore, but it was Robby Scott who finally stopped the bleeding with a clean eighth inning. Scott logged 1 2/3 innings last week, retiring every batter he faced.
Fernando Abad pitched in a couple of mop up appearances, allowing a run over three innings of work. He still can’t be trusted in a tight spot unless he’s brought in only to face a lefty, but his 2.92 ERA is far better than any of us could have expected after his disastrous stint in the second half of last season.
We already touched on Moreland’s scoreless inning on the previous slide. In a week where Boston’s pitching staff was routinely hammered, it doesn’t hurt to reiterate one of the few bright spots.