The Boston Red Sox have leaned on the arm of David Price all season. Unfortunately last night he wasn’t able to carry the weight of the team.
Though his record may not back it up, Red Sox ace David Price has been damn near automatic this season. He has been the constant high mark of the Boston pitching staff since Opening Day. Last night, however, may be one of the lowest lows of his career. From the get-go, it seemed like Price wasn’t his usual self and it would go downhill from there.
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The Southpaw lasted just 1-1/3 innings and would give up 6 runs on 5 hits. He would struggle with his command the whole start hitting Shin-Soo Choo twice. His poor performance would push his season ERA up to a 3.52. Much like Chris Sale as of late, Price has been what feels like a guaranteed strong outing and win but nobody is perfect and bad nights happen.
"“I sucked,” Price said. “That’s it.”"
Luckily for both the Red Sox and Price, the bullpen was dominant for the remainder of the game against Texas. A combination of seven pitchers from the pen to get things done and finish the homestand with a victory. Mike Shawaryn went 2.1 IP finishing with 2BB/2K, Colten Brewer lasted just 0.1 IP but left unblemished. Travis Lakins, Marcus Walden, Brandon Workman, Matt Barnes, and Josh Smith would combine for 5IP/4H/5BB/7K. Just brilliant stuff from the pen.
Not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4... pic.twitter.com/fi1fQEnwQy
— Red Sox (@RedSox) June 14, 2019
It was a rare short night for Price as he hasn’t been pulled that quickly since that day in Houston where he tried to pitch with the flu. With things getting out of hand in such a hurry last night it was Alex Cora’s swift decision making that kept the game winnable. And thanks to five moonballs from J.D. Martinez, Jackie Bradley Jr., Michael Chavis, Rafael Devers, and Xander Bogaerts the Red Sox were able to get the win.
"“I gave up more runs than outs I got,” Price said. “The bullpen came in, did an unbelievable job getting the last 23 outs of that ballgame and not allowing any more. Our offense bailed me out and helped us win that game. That’s the type of game we can rally around to get going.”"
Everyone is entitled to an off-night and it surely won’t be the last. The big takeaway for me from this game is that the Red Sox haven’t given up and they’re not dead yet. Yeah, they’re going to lose more games, that’s obvious, but they won’t go down without a fight.
This is the kind of game that shows a team that they’re much stronger than they may feel that they are and that it’s not over until it’s over. Boston has six games on the road against Baltimore and the White Sox before heading across the pond to battle the Yankees. With all the momentum in the world, they can take these six games and head into their clash with New York fired up.
It was an uncharacteristic night for David Price and I’m sure one that he’d like to forget instantly. With a great opportunity to make up some ground in the next few days, the Red Sox have a golden chance. I think it’s safe to say that in his next start Price will want to take the mound and remind everyone just how bad a man he is.