Farrell’s mismanagement blows Sox out of the game:
Down 5-2 heading into the 6th, the Sox were very much in position to claw their way back into this game. With Sale having struggled already, and the Sox having given themselves chances to score against Verlander, there seemed no sense in bringing Sale back out, right? RIGHT???
Well, if you’re like me and the rest of the Sox fans I saw on my Twitter timeline, you’d be wrong. Farrell left Sale in and it went how you’d expect. Gattis promptly doubled down the line on an 0-2 pitch, Reddick walked thereafter, and once Sale had put himself and the team in a dire situation, it was then that Farrell chose to relieve his beleaguered ace.
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Who might he go to? Price? Rodriguez? Reed? Maybe, if he was feeling emboldened enough, his closer Craig Kimbrel? Nope. He instead brought in Joe Kelly. Joe Kelly. With a postseason game in the balance. Joe Kelly. John Farrell brought in Joe Kelly. How many times do I have to say it?? He brought in Joe Kelly!
Unless you thought my reaction to that decision promised a better result, Kelly then saw Yuli Gurriel line a single off him to load the bases, and then after a strikeout of Gonzalez he served up a two-run single to Brian McCann – effectively putting the game out of reach. 7-2 ‘Stros.
And to think, this might not have even been Farrell’s worst move of the night! Down 8-2 in the 8th, Farrell brought in Rick Porcello to mop up the game. Rick Porcello. The starting pitcher you moved to the bullpen in case you needed multiple innings in these crucial playoff games. By using Porcello today to throw a meaningless inning, Farrell burns a long man he could have used if he needed him tomorrow. It made absolutely no sense and if you’re like myself and many other Sox writers and fans, I’m really looking forward to what Farrell says about his decisions post-game.
From leaving Sale in to start the 6th, to bringing Kelly in with the game on the line, to then burning Porcello for an irrelevant inning of work, Farrell truly was in rare form today. This game alone will do well to fan the flames of the #FireFarrell contingency on twitter if the Sox see themselves out in 3 games once again this fall. Let’s hope Farrell and the rest of the team can get their head’s straight moving forward.