There's a lot that needs to be fixed at Fenway Park these days. Let's start with the television sets in the Red Sox' dugout.
After giving up a run in the first inning of what would ultimately be an 8-5 Sox loss to the Rays Wednesday night, Rick Porcello could be seen briskly walking through the dugout on his way to the stairs leading to the clubhouse. Just before descending to the tunnel the Red Sox starter lifted both his hands and firmly high-fived the two TV monitors which are supposed to give a glimpse into the team's bullpen. (For a complete recap of the Red Sox' loss, click here.)
After the well-targeted slap, all the broken screens offered were a look into what remains the Red Sox' biggest frustration -- inconsistent starting pitching.
— Red Sox Stats (@redsoxstats) July 31, 2019"Yeah, I hit them," Porcello said. "Yeah. Sorry. I forgot that I did that. It's a reaction of frustration. It's not behavior I condone. Obviously everybody gets frustrated. I kind of wish I did that without cameras being on me. I apologize to everyone that had to see that. It's not behavior that I feel like is representative of me and my personality. My frustration got the best of me, so I apologize for that and anybody that had to watch that."
By the time Thursday rolled around the Red Sox they will have their two new monitors. What they really need are new results from their starters, particularly Porcello.
The outburst ended up doing little to cool off the Rays' hot start with Tampa Bay putting four more on the board in the second inning to bury the Red Sox in a five-run hole they could never dig out from. When it was all said and done Porcello had allowed six runs on nine hits over 5 2/3 innings.
In his last seven starts, Porcello has a 9.35 ERA with hitters managing a .350 batting average. The team results have been palatable during the stretch (4-3) due to an insane amount of run support, but with the Red Sox' success and failures largely hinging on their starters for the final two months of the regular season, fate is being tempted a bit too often.
"There's no doubt it's been frustrating," he said. " I haven't been able to be effective for us pretty much all year now. I care about this team. I care about the game, and I care about what I'm doing a lot. When that's not happening, it's tough to swallow. You put a lot of work into it and you go out there every five days and give it up and put our team in a tough spot, it's frustrating. That's the simplest way I could put it."
So, what now?
Porcello isn't alone in representing this starting pitching problem.
After a solid stretch that allowed the Red Sox their 5-2 mark against the Rays and Yankees, Chris Sale, David Price and Porcello have combined to manage a 9.39 ERA which has seen them pitch just a combined 15 1/3. It's a group that is supposed to anchor this whole equation and has instead left everyone scratching their heads when trying to imagine beating the likes of a Houston club that now -- which Zack Greinke in the fold -- boasts four starters with ERAs 3.06 or under.
"They compete no doubt about it, we just haven't executed," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who confirmed Porcello would make his next scheduled start. "I expect these guys to pitch well. I keep saying, they've done it all through their careers and we expect them to pitch better. In between starts they're working hard and trying to make adjustments. The last three have been a struggle for us but we expect them to go back and get on the mound and dominate."
The Red Sox are 2 1/2 games out of the final Wild Card spot, with Cleveland and Tampa Bay the two teams currently earning spots. Oakland resides 1/2-game out after its Wednesday night loss to Milwaukee. The Sox are also just 1-7 against the Rays this season.
