The Case For Marcelo Mayer
It was just one day and one game. But when it comes to the big picture for the last 49 games, the series of events in Kansas City Wednesday could be impactful for these Red Sox.
The notion that the Sox dropped an 8-4 decision to the Royals obviously wasn't the way Alex Cora and Co. wanted to return back to Fenway Park, dropping back to 1 1/2 games behind for the final spot in the Wild Card race.
That, however, was somewhat palatable considering the Sox had already won the first two games of the three-game set, clinching the season series (and tie-breaker) with the Royals.
The concerns came elsewhere.
Of note within the loss was another uneasy outing from starter Kutter Crawford. The righty saw his ERA balloon to 4.11, with his post-All-Star numbers remaining in stark contrast to what he was producing before the break. In his last four starts, Crawford's ERA sits at 10.61, with opposing hitters managing a batting average of .313 and OPS of 1.184.
Against the Royals, Crawford's recent propensity to give up home runs (having allowed 13 over the past four starts) wasn't the major issue, only surrendering one. But four walks in his 3 2/3-inning, six-run outing wasn't the trend the Sox were banking on.
“It’s just a really rough stretch I’m going through right now,” Crawford told reporters. “Probably the worst I’ve ever had in my career. But at the end of the day, we got to wake up tomorrow. We got to show up and just keep working."
He added, "I felt good, I’ve just been getting hit. So that’s kind of what makes it a little more frustrating. Feeling good, but still getting hit and giving up runs."
Making the shaky state of one of their starters even more unappetizing was news that Nick Pivetta would be skipping a start after the team saw a dramatic dip in his fastball velocity in his last start in Texas. Against the Rangers, Pivetta's fastball - which averages 94.1 mph - was averaging a velocity of just 91.9 mph.
For a starting staff that possesses the second-worst ERA (5.97) in baseball since the All-Star break, it's not good news.
"He’s not responding well out of this [start]. We do believe that skipping one, using the off-day, we’re going to reset him and he should be fine," Cora told reporters. "We don’t like the velocity of the fastball. The other pitches were OK, but we have to take care of him."
And, to top things off, one of the hottest hitters in baseball, Tyler O'Neill, is now on the injured list for a third time this season (retroactive to Aug. 4) with a mysterious left leg infection.
Since the All-Star break, O'Neill has hit .354 with a 1.220 OPS and six home runs. He had missed the previous three games due to an illness.
“I talked to [O’Neill] and he said, ‘Alex, I have no idea what happened,’” Cora told reporters. “When J.J. [athletic trainer Jon Jochim] saw him in Texas, he was in bad shape. Then I think it was the last day that his leg was huge. He’s been getting treatment, doing everything possible with the medical staff to take care of this. … It just happened. He doesn’t know. He woke up in the morning and [his leg] was big."
Now the questions are how big are all these issues. It's that time of year where the Red Sox are going to find out in a hurry.