Going into play Saturday, the Red Sox starters have a 4.67 ERA, good for 18th in the league, but with who the team has, it's not what anyone is looking for.
“We built our ballclub for them to be our strong suit,” Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said in the last few days via Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. “I don’t think it’s been what we expected or hoped. They’re a very talented group of pitchers. … They’re the guys who are supposed to carry us, really. That’s why I think they’ve been fine. They’ve been OK. But I can’t say they’ve really carried us at any point. The bullpen keeps getting pointed to all the time, I think a lot of times unfairly. It’s just that collectively, in a lot of places, we haven’t done as well as we hoped.”Things were better Friday night against the Tigers when Eduardo Rodriguez allowed one run in five innings, but it needs to be more than just one start and be more than just one guy.
Many thought Nathan Eovaldi would improve the rotation when he returns from an elbow injury, but he will now return as the closer, so it's up to the current group to turn things around themselves. One of the biggest disappointments has been Chris Sale, as the left-hander is 3-8 with a 4.04 ERA.
The Red Sox are currently in third place and 11 games back of the Yankees in the AL East.
Related
