David Price is Pitching Like an Ace

(June 18, 2016 - Source: Adam Glanzman/Getty Images North America)
Evan Marinofsky
Contributing Writer

After a horrid first two months of the season, it seems as though David Price has finally settled in.

In April, he pitched to an ERA of 5.76 and in May, an ERA of 4.62. Those ERAs wouldn't be good enough for a typical number-5 starter, let alone a $217 million ace. At the time, we all knew that as he was pitching terribly, he'd eventually find himself as an ace once again.

He proved our beliefs yesterday, as he was superb in a tight 2-1 win for the Sox over the Seattle Mariners. He went 8 innings, allowing only 1 run on 8 hits. Of course for Price, it was a home run that was the one run he gave up. Despite being down 1-0 after the 4th inning, Price was dominant for the rest of his outing.

So far in June, Price has a 2.32 ERA, yet he's 1-3 in 4 starts. Of course the lopsided record is due to a lack of run support, which still existed yesterday, as he only got 2 runs to work with. His home run numbers are high (6), but opponents are only batting .198 against him. His last 8 outings have all been quality starts and in those 8 games, he hasn't given up more than 3 earned runs. His last 3 starts have all been a length of 8 innings.

It seems as though Price is finally starting to live up to the monster contract that the Sox signed him to. If Price can continue his dominance, the Red Sox would have 2 legitimate aces in their starting rotation and they'd have a huge leg-up on the rest of the AL East.

Here's to hoping Price never stops pitching like an ace.

Follow Evan Marinofsky on Twitter for all of his Red Sox thoughts and opinions.