The Boston Red Sox World Series aspirations may hinge upon the performance of their bullpen. If Friday was any indication, the Red Sox could be in trouble.
On Friday, the Boston Red Sox were feeling good about themselves through the first five innings. Starter Chris Sale was looking like himself, the offense had chased J.A. Happ after two innings, and the Red Sox appeared to be in the driver’s seat for the series due to the Yankees having to tax their bullpen early on.
Then came the top of the sixth. Sale allowed two hits around a fielder’s choice, leaving manager Alex Cora to go to the Red Sox much maligned bullpen. They did nothing to stave off those concerns, as Ryan Brazier allowed both inherited runners to score while recording a single out. Brandon Workman allowed a walk to load the bases, but struck out Gleybar Torres to end the bleeding.
However, Workman gave up a run of his own in the seventh after Matt Barnes allowed another inherited runner to score. The bullpen was shaky enough where Rick Porcello came in for the eighth inning, serving as the bridge to Craig Kimbrel. Even Kimbrel was shaky in the outing, as he allowed a home run in the ninth before striking out the side to preserve the victory.
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On the surface, the overarching concern about the Red Sox bullpen would seem to be rather reactionary. Red Sox relievers ranked ninth in baseball with an aggregate 3.72 ERA, while allowing just a .235 batting average against. Those numbers are fairly solid, and would seemingly make the Red Sox bullpen one of the best in the game.
The problem has been consistency. While the overall numbers are fine, the Red Sox do not have a reliever they can trust day in and day out, excluding Kimbrel. Joe Kelly has the arm one looks for as an eighth inning pitcher, but he has been wildly inconsistent. Brazier is a 31 year old rookie. Steven Wright is now injured, and will miss, at the very least, the rest of the ALDS.
While the Red Sox have a solid rotation, and one of the best closers in the game with Kimbrel, the question is how to get to him. The injury to Wright may actually make that easier, as he could be replaced with either Hector Velazquez or Heath Hembree. While neither may be a great option, they give Cora possible options to bridge that gap.
The Boston Red Sox harbor World Series aspirations, as long as the bullpen can perform. Based on Friday’s showing, those questions are only going to get louder.