Rick Porcello's struggles showcase the rotations recent problems
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| (AP Photo/Winslow Townson) |
Contributing Writer
Expectation can be a dirty word in sports.
We as fans expect a few things from our favorite teams year in and year out. We expect them to play hard and not whine about little things (see Price, David in 2017), we expect them to be good role models to kids who look up to them, we expect good food and cold drinks at the ballpark and, in the case of the Boston Red Sox, we expect our rotation and it’s big names to get the job done.
Sadly, when looking back on the last few weeks and reflecting on Rick Porcello’s performance against the A’s (where he gave up 5 earned runs including 2 homers), it might be time to wonder what exactly we can expect from the starters.
Let’s go back to a simpler time. A time that seems not all that long ago...when the Red Sox were considered the best team in baseball and off to a historically hot start.
Boston starters began the year going 12-1 in the first 19 games of the season and posted a 2.17 ERA in that time span. If felt like the rotation was the best in baseball and Red Sox nation were rejoicing.
Chris Sale and Rick Porcello, were their normal dominant selves and David Price, Drew Pomeranz, and Eduardo Rodriguez were considered solid starters with chances to be great. Even the occasional spot starter (Hector Velazquez and Brian Johnson) were coming through in big ways.
Since then however, the pitching staff as a whole has had its share of struggles.
The starters are 6-5 in the past 22 games and have posted a 4.80 ERA in that same time span. But what else can be expected when Porcello has given up 5 runs in 2 consecutive starts after giving up no more than 3 in the 7 previous?
These are not the kind of numbers to be expected out of the highest paid pitching staff in baseball but with the rotation the Red Sox have there is no reason to panic just yet and anyone who does is much more Chicken Little than the Oracle Cassandra. However, after watching last night and Rick Porcello fail to garner a shutdown inning whenever the offense could get within a run and reading about the troubles that he and David Price have with 2 outs so far this season, I think there is reason to wonder just how long we can expect these rough starts to last.
