The best playoff teams have the best pitching staffs of deep rotations and bullpens. That should give the Boston Red Sox all kinds of confidence as the playoffs loom, just days away. But Boston's bullpen is far from its best shape right when it matters most.
Aroldis Chapman is dealing with a lat injury. Justin Slaten's season is over. Breakout flamethrower Tyron Guerrero is fresh off the injured list without much of a warm-up. Electric setup man Erik Miller has been dealing with a mechanical issue that has taken him off his regular course of strike-throwing dominance.
Through it all, Alec Gamboa persists. Against the Cleveland Guardians on September 22, he posted his fourth straight scoreless outing, which lowered his ERA to 1.16 on the season. The former Los Angeles Dodgers prospect has put forth an impressive, but quiet rookie season with Boston and he's taken on the leverage lefty role as Miller has faltered late in the year.
To go along with his minuscule ERA, Gamboa has posted a 1.06 WHIP, 22 strikeouts and 10 walks over 31 innings. He doesn't match the pitching profile that Craig Breslow usually covets — his extension is below the league average and he doesn't rack up strikeouts as much as Miller does, for example — but he limits damage well.
Underrated Red Sox reliever Alec Gamboa is key to bullpen's continued success despite injuries and other issues
Gamboa is a ground ball pitcher to an elite degree. His 55.7 percent ground ball rate ranks near the top of the league. This serves the Red Sox particularly well since Fenway Park is hitter-friendly. Gamboa has allowed just one home run this year. Boston's defense has also become one of the best in the league this season, so there is far less risk of damage off ground ball pitchers than there was in the past.
Yankee Stadium is also one of the most hitter-friendly parks in the league. The Red Sox are set for a Wild Card rematch against the New York Yankees, who are still one of the best home run-hitting teams in the league, even without Aaron Judge. New York has hit 131 home runs since June 1, the fifth-most in MLB, since Judge first sat out due to a rib stress fracture.
Gamboa is the perfect relief weapon to use against the Yankees in their own ballpark. He's clocked a 0.78 ERA in his last 15 appearances, so he's entering the playoffs hot. Red Sox fans should expect to see him in at least one big spot during the Wild Card series, and he'll be even more important while Boston's bullpen fights through some injuries and other struggles.
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