The Boston Red Sox have been struggling as of late and they needed a big outing from Rick Porcello tonight. That’s exactly what they got from the righty.
It’s no secret that the Red Sox are just downright awful right now. The bats have gone cold and the pitchers may as well be on missing posters. With 48 games left going into tonight, they needed everybody to get on the same page, starting with Rick Porcello. Luckily for Boston, the righty came out and did exactly what they needed him to do against Kansas City.
Porcello came into the game with the stench of his last outing still on him. He got absolutely shelled by Rays and then punched a few monitors, just a normal night at the ballpark. Then came the Boston beating at Yankee Stadium over the weekend. So with under 50 games left in the season and Boston needing all hands on deck, Rick had to step up.
Pretty Ricky knew what was being asked of him and he more than delivered on the task. He tossed a strong 6IP with 4H/1R/2BB/5K against KC tonight. He went late enough to give a chunk of the bullpen the possibility of rest while also giving the Red Sox a big chance for a victory.
In what has become routine for when Porcello starts he had some good run support behind him to ease the stress of the night. Blasts from both Sam Travis and Rafael Devers with some small ball mixed in gave Boston a 4-0 lead while Rick was on the hill. It wasn’t all sunshine though as the one run came at the hands of a Cheslor Cuthbert homer.
This type of outing from Porcello was more than just a start for the Red Sox it could be seen as the beginning of the final drive. Boston has been the definition of a disappointment this season and with only 47 games left after tonight, they need to go on a tear. I have zero worries in the offense as even with a few poor showings they tend to wake back up. Hell, they have seven runs as I’m writing this.
More from Red Sox News
- Red Sox Nation deserves far more from Fenway Sports Group
- Bizarre trade deadline comes back to haunt Red Sox after Nathan Eovaldi departure
- Red Sox’ Moneyball-style offseason continues with Corey Kluber contract
- Rich Hill’s Red Sox departure puts him within striking distance of unique MLB record
- Red Sox offseason takes another nasty hit with Nathan Eovaldi departure
If we can get some more starts from the rotation as we did from Porcello tonight then the Sox will still have a puncher’s chance. The only starter that’s been close to reliable this season has been Eduardo Rodriguez at 13-5 with a 4.19 ERA and even he had a poor start in his last appearance. Tonight was definitely a statement game from Rick though and he sure as hell hasn’t given up on 2019 just yet.
If we can start to get Chris Sale and David Price back on track then this season may get salvaged at the last minute. The Sox need to go out every night and play with the pride that becomes a World Series champion. They’re still the defending world champs and they need to remember that well before they can remind the rest of the baseball world.
Tonight was a hell of a start from Rick and it was exactly what this team needed after that 0-8 stretch. He set the tone for the rest of the team and I hope after that win there is some energy in that clubhouse. The Red Sox are still alive as far as the Wild Card is concerned but they’ll need a lot more nights like tonight as the schedule continues.
Boston needs to take this comeback one game at a time and can’t get overwhelmed with how deep the Wild Card deficit is. It’s one game at a time, one win at a time, and that begins with one start at a time. Rick Porcello did what was asked of him tonight and he got things rolling with the type of performance that the Sox have been desperate for lately.