Red Sox catch a break on Opening Day with Orioles ace scratched from start

The Red Sox catch a break by not facing the Orioles ace.

The outlook for Opening Day just got a bit brighter. We know that the Boston Red Sox will be without their ace but apparently so will their opponent.

According to the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles have scratched left-handed pitcher John Means from his start against the Red Sox in Friday night’s season opener. Means experienced arm fatigue over the weekend and while he felt better after playing catch this week, the Orioles aren’t taking any chances with their prized lefty.

Avoiding Means is a break for the Red Sox. The 27-year-old was an All-Star as a rookie last season when he went 12-11 with a 3.60 ERA. He finished as the runner-up to Houston’s Yordan Alvarez for the AL Rookie of the Year award.

Means was a thorn in the side of the Red Sox last year, going 3-1 with a 2.89 ERA in five starts against Boston.

The Orioles will turn to journeyman Tommy Milone on Opening Day instead. The veteran has been, to put it kindly, less successful than the ace he’s replacing. Milone has decent enough numbers as the back of the rotation pitcher he was signed to be, owning a career 50-47 record and 4.47 ERA. He’s been brutal over the last few years though. Since 2016, Milone is 9-19 with a 5.67 ERA in 64 games (30 starts) through stints with the Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, Washington Nationals, and Seattle Mariners.

Last year in Seattle, Milone was 4-10 with a 4.76 ERA in 23 games. That includes six starts where he went 1-3 with a 4.65 ERA.

Milone isn’t any team’s ideal top of the rotation arm, even for a Baltimore club that has been arguably the worst in baseball over the last few years. The decision to use him on Opening Day boiled down to a desire to keep everyone on regular rest. Some of their other rotation options are behind schedule or need more time to get stretched out for a starter’s workload.

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The Red Sox have their own well-documented rotation issues. Chris Sale will miss the 2020 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery and Eduardo Rodriguez needs more time to get ready following his battle with COVID-19.

The leaves Nathan Eovaldi leading the rotation by taking the mound for the first game of the season. The right-hander was a postseason hero in 2018 but struggled through injury and inconsistency last season. Eovaldi looked sharp in spring training and summer camp but it remains to be seen if that success will carry over to the regular season.

Even with the powerful Red Sox offense supporting him, Eovaldi would be at a disadvantage against a pitcher the caliber of Means. If the lefty pitched as well as he did against Boston last year, the Red Sox would be in danger of starting the season 0-1, putting tremendous pressure on them to win the next two.

You can’t lose two out of three at home to the Orioles if you plan to contend for a playoff spot in this 60-game season. Winning two out of three hardly seems good enough. Every game counts more in a shorter season so the Red Sox can’t waste these chances to beat up on the teams they should be able to beat. Not having to go through Means gives the Red Sox greater odds of sweeping the O’s to get off to a hot start and build some momentum.