It's easy to remember that Drew Pomeranz finished last season with a career-high 17 wins. It's easy to forget how that season began.
Pomeranz opened 2017 on the disabled list, debuted on April 11, and was struggling with a 3-3 record and 4.97 ERA as late as May 20.
That afternoon, he openly feuded with manager John Farrell after pitching only four innings in an 8-3 loss to the A's. Pomeranz wanted to stay in the game. Farrell effectively told him: Earn it.
And that's what Pomeranz did, striking out 11 in his next start and going 14-3, 2.85 for the rest of the season, playing a pivotal role in the team's second straight division title.
A year later, Pomeranz finds himself facing similar travails. He didn't escape the fourth inning in his season debut last week against the A's. And Friday night against the red-hot Rays, he struggled to break 88 mph while allowing three home runs in a 4-3 loss.
Pomeranz went five innings, allowing six hits and four runs. He served up mammoth solo homers to Wilson Ramos, Rob Refsnyder, and Daniel Robertson. While Wilson has some pop, Refsnyder hadn't homered in more than two years and Robertson is a utilityman.
It's possible that Pomeranz is still building arm strength after a mild flexor strain in his left forearm sidelined him for half of spring training.
If his issue proves more serious, the Red Sox certainly have an alternative in right-hander Hector Velazquez, who tossed 3 1/3 shutout innings that made possible a rally from 4-0 to 4-3, though the Red Sox fell just short in the ninth.
Velazquez now owns a 2.25 ERA and is pitching with a tremendous amount of confidence.
On the flip side, Rays left-hander Blake Snell was outstanding, spotting a mid-90s fastball with a sharp-breaking curve. He didn't allow a hit until Xander Bogaerts led off the fifth with an infield single. Snell limited the Red Sox to five hits and two runs in 7 1/3 innings, striking out nine.
Shortstop Xander Bogaerts returned from the 10-day disabled list and picked up right where he left off. Appearing in his first game since April 9, Bogaerts recorded three hits, raising his average to .405.
