There was a lesson to be learned from last season.
Immediately after Drew Pomeranz's extremely uncomfortable four-inning outing in Oakland back on May 18, 2017 -- in which he threw 97 pitches before exiting -- it seemed only right to call for the lefty to shift into a bullpen role. He had started eight games, totaling a 4.97 ERA while averaging less than five innings per outing. (For a complete recap of the Red Sox' 7-4 loss to the Orioles, click here.)
What happened? Pomeranz went on to go 14-3 the rest of the way, managing 2.85 ERA in the process.
So now, after his four-inning, five-run start against the Orioles, we are faced with that temptation once again. Pomeranz has made six starts and carries a 5.97 ERA, with the Red Sox carrying a 3-3 record in his appearances. The guy who came in for him? Steven Wright allowed just two runs in his 4 2/3 innings.
Did we talk about the temptation of a rotation alteration?
The move is clearly to ride out Pomeranz, particularly considering some of these issues might be due to the fingernail issue that hasn't quite gone away.
The lefty has to find a way to rediscover his curveball, a pitch he threw 37 times against the Orioles but only for called strikes eight times. Coming into the game, opponents were hitting .375 against the curve, which limited hitters to a .268 batting average last season.
If there isn't that pitch, the whole package simply doesn't work, as was evident when throwing a fastball that has been sitting between 88-90 mph (which is still down about 2-3 mph from last season's average). Pomeranz is also throwing the fastball about a lot less, coming in with the heater 15 percent less than in 2017.
Both Wright and Hector Velazquez (now rehabbing in Pawtucket) have both proven to be valuable long men, offering the impression that they both could serve as capable big league starters if called upon. But with the history of Pomeranz -- if there are no health concerns other than that finger -- it's worth it to keep everybody right where they are (for now).
