Red Sox starting pitching did damage against the Yankees

After a four-game series sweep against the New York Yankees this past weekend, Red Sox starting pitching looked untouchable.

Anyone else still fired up!? What a weekend for the Boston Red Sox, what a series…have to love that dirty water.

Once upon a time, Chris Sale hit the 10-day DL just before he was slated to pitch against the New York Yankees. Although the injury wasn’t bad enough to concern Sox fans, it was clear Sale would not pitch in the biggest series of the year.

Well, what if I told you that without their ace, Red Sox starting pitching gave up just seven runs in 28 innings during their weekend series? Yes, you read that correctly, Red Sox starters had a collective 0.25 ERA over the team’s four games against the Yankees.

Allow me to reiterate once more for those in the back of the room. Brian Johnson, Rick Porcello, Nathan Eovaldi and David Price, NOT Chris Sale, allowed just seven runs in 28 innings. Red Sox Nation, I sure hope you appreciate the outings each of those four players had.

I’m also sick of hearing, “Oh, but Adam, the Yankees were without Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez.” The Red Sox were without Rafael Devers, Dustin Pedroia, Ian Kinsler, Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart and the offense still raked. Sorry to all of my Yankees fan friends, your excuse to me since Friday has been and will continue to be invalid. I get it, Judge makes a little difference. But in all reality does he make that much of a difference?

And to all the rest who can’t give credit to where credit is due, the four Red Sox starters over the weekend each deserve a long standing ovation before their next outings. Each of them came up big when the lights were at their brightest to help give the Sox a 9.5 game lead in the AL East at the end of Sunday night’s game.

Here’s a deeper look into how Johnson, Porcello, Eovaldi, and Price fared during the Red Sox four-game sweep of the Yankees (that still feels amazing to say).

Rick Porcello

Wow, simply wow.

Rick Porcello pitched in what could be his best game of the season as he was one hit shy of a no-hitter and/or shutout. He was also beyond efficient in this game, doing something that only he did nearly two years ago.

He also did something no Red Sox pitcher had done since “The Rocket” in 1991.

Any way you spin it, Porcello was masterful on Friday night. In case you forget, he hurled a complete game allowing just one hit on a home run to Yankees third baseman, Miguel Andujar. Besides that, Porcello issued zero walks and struck out nine hitters in pinstripes.

It’s a coin toss between Porcello and Eovaldi (who I’ll get to in a second) on who had the best game in this series. Porcello went the distance, a rare feat in today’s game. With that, he retired his final 21 hitters after the home run allowed in the third. To add insult to injury to the Yankees, Porcello did all that while tossing just 86 pitches.

Who had the better outing between Porcello and Eovaldi is really beside the point, just some food for thought. All you need to know here is Porcello displayed pure dominance on Friday night. While doing so he kept himself fresh with just 86 pitches and also kept the bullpen fresh as he went the entire game.

Take a bow, Rick Porcello.

Nathan Eovaldi

Who has two thumbs and 15 scoreless innings pitched in a Red Sox uniform? Yep, Nathan Eovaldi does.

Out of his first 15 innings with the Sox (all scoreless), eight of them came on Saturday against the Yankees, one of Eovaldi’s old teams. In his eight innings of work, Eovaldi allowed no runs on three hits while striking out four and walking just one.

What impresses me the most about Eovaldi’s start on Saturday was how he was able to hold onto a small lead. For most of the game, he was working with a two-run lead until the fourth inning, then a three-run lead until the seventh. He didn’t have 10 runs of support here, he was pitching on pins and needles. While doing so, Eovaldi came through in the clutch, winning over the hearts of Red Sox Nation.

Such as Jake Peavy did in 2013 upon his arrival, Eovaldi is providing an instant spark to the Red Sox starting rotation. His start on Saturday proved his first start with the team was no fluke, he’s here to perform and do his part in bringing a World Series back to Boston.

Once Saturday hit, maybe Eovaldi brought back some feelings when the Yankees cut the hard-throwing righty. Whatever he did to prepare and execute I hope not a thing is changed. If he pitches like he did on Saturday from his next start out, what lineup will be able to beat this starting rotation?

You take a bow also, Nathan Eovaldi.

David Price

No other pitcher on the Red Sox staff needed Sunday night’s game more than David Price.

And it wasn’t just one game, it was a game against a team that has owned Price since joining the Red Sox. It was a game for Price to prove to Sox Nation we can be put on his back come postseason time.

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David Price, I tip my hat to you.

In nine starts since joining the Red Sox prior to Sunday’s game, Price owned an 8.43 ERA against the Yankees. That comes out to be 44 earned runs in 47 innings.

However, Price turned it around on Sunday. He went six innings (pitching into the 7th), was responsible for two earned runs on four hits while striking out five Yankees and walking three.

Up until the seventh, Price was relatively clean. Heath Hembree inherited both of Price’s runners in the sixth and they ultimately came around to score.

Whether Price was left in too long is beside the point. Disregarding the seventh, Price silenced doubters on his ability to pitch against the Yankees, for the time being, that is.

Although he didn’t earn the win in the Red Sox dramatic walk-off win on Sunday, Price earned a personal win. He bounced back from a dreadful performance against the Yankees on July 1 in which he pitched just 3 1/3 innings while allowing eight earned runs on nine hits, including five home runs.

Rather than bowing down and calling the Yankees his daddy like Pedro Martinez once did, Price responded to adversity and gave the Red Sox some hope moving forward. If he can pitch like he did on Sunday against the Yankees from here on out, the doubters will forever be silenced.