Red Sox need to play better when David Price, Chris Sale pitch
The Red Sox struggle to win games when Chris Sale and David Price start games. They need to turn that around if they want a chance at a playoff spot.
David Price and Chris Sale are the two aces for the Boston Red Sox. It should be that the team plays better when Sale and Price take the mound. However, that hasn’t been the case.
The Red Sox are 7-15 when either of their aces starts and 23-14 with anyone else starting. Why is that?
Price and Sale can’t pitch a gem only to not receive any run support or help from the bullpen. Price is currently 2-2 with a 2.83 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. Sale is 1-7, has a 4.35ERA and a 1.083 WHIP. Granted, both pitchers have gotten better since the beginning of the year but it’s still not good enough.
The average run support for Sale in games started is 2.81. For Price, it’s 4.06, which is better but nowhere near good enough. The bats can’t go silent just because a good pitcher is on the mound. The 2.81 run support for Sale is concerning heading into the rest of the regular season. If they want to make a nice run at the division then that number has to go up significantly.
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In Price’s defense, he’s been dealing with an injury and was battling the flu last week which caused him to exit the game early in Houston. Having said that, it should be more reason for the offense to step up and do their part when he’s on the mound. Sale has battled injuries too but that’s no excuse for the hitters to remain silent. The bullpen has been an issue since 2018 but they don’t help either when Sale or Price pitch.
Last night, David Price got the run support he needed and help from the bullpen in an 8-5 win. The record improved but it needs to be better. He said after the game he did things differently with his pitches and it worked, according to Mike Fitzpatrick of Boston.com.
“It was a much-needed win for us, I did stuff here differently today than I have in my past four or five starts. We’ll continue to switch it up.”
It looks like Sale will have to do the same thing. Switch up his delivery on his pitches and work on mechanics. The Sox are still 3-9 in his starts and that’s concerning. If they want to win the division they’ll need to win games when either Sale or Price pitch.
Friday night after the loss, Sale was asked by Chad Finn of the Boston Globe about the team’s record in his starts.
“It’s not who I am. It’s not who I’ve ever been, I’ve got to find a way to be better.’’
Price winning on Sunday night helped and avoided the sweep against the Yankees. Sale will probably pitch against the Kansas City Royals and he should get the win. He needs to make adjustments to his pitches, get the run support, and the bullpen needs to close the game out without blowing it.
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The Red Sox can’t win in the playoffs unless they win games consistently when Sale or Price pitch.