Takeaway #1: Garrett Richards comes through for the Red Sox
This is something I never thought I’d say but here I am for the second series in a row praising a guy at the bottom of the starting rotation. Garrett Richards knew what they had to do down in Arlington and they did their absolute best to get the job done. When you look at the starters that the Red Sox have in their rotation I think these two may have the lowest of expectations, but not anymore.
I have been hard on Richards all season long and in my defense, he’s made it pretty easy to dislike him. Poor performances followed by excuses don’t generally win over a fanbase. However, his last two starts have been absolute gems from the veteran righty and he looks to be finding his way after a rough start to the year.
His most recent start against the Rangers saw Richards toss 5 innings giving up just 4 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run while striking out 7. He’s gotten better with each start in 2021 and has brought his ERA from a 27.00 down to a 4.40, awesome.
As the season progresses I look forward to seeing Richards revert back to his 2015 form where he pitched 207.1 innings with a 3.65 ERA and 1.240 WHIP. Despite a rocky start to his Red Sox tenure, the righty is proving to be a reliable arm in Alex Cora’s starting rotation. If he can keep pitching the way that he has in his last two starts then I think my days of being harsh on Richards will be over.