Red Sox Postseason: Five players who need to step up in ALCS
By Sean Penney
The much-maligned Red Sox bullpen was better than advertised despite a couple of near meltdowns (more on that later). Ryan Brasier shook off the postseason jitters from a shaky Game 1 to bounce back with a pair of solid appearances. Matt Barnes and Joe Kelly were both rock solid. Even Heath Hembree was surprisingly effective. If the Red Sox can count on those guys in the later innings it would vastly increase their chances of beating the Astros.
The concern is if a starter gets knocked out of the game early. Boston’s bullpen doesn’t have enough reliable arms to patch together six or more innings. That’s a scenario in which they’d need a long reliever to give them a few innings, a role currently being filled by Eduardo Rodriguez.
This is assuming that E-Rod remains in the bullpen, which seems likely with Nathan Eovaldi earning the opportunity to remain in the rotation with an impressive outing against the Yankees. Rodriguez hasn’t done anything to warrant a rotation spot. He struggled against the Astros this year, allowing five runs in 3 1/2 innings. One of the lowlights of the ALDS was the three-run homer Rodriguez allowed to Gary Sanchez to put Game 2 out of reach.
Rodriguez now owns a brutal 16.88 ERA in three postseason appearances, all in relief. Reasons to feel confident about E-Rod are hard to come by but the Red Sox will need him. With Steven Wright ineligible after being scratched from the ALDS roster with a knee injury, Rodriguez is the ideal multi-inning option.
Or at least he would be if he showed signs of being the pitcher he has been in the regular season. Rodriguez’ career has been plagued by injuries but he’s shown a high ceiling when healthy. Now he needs to show it in October.