Red Sox: Starting rotation struggles could derail playoff dreams
The Boston Red Sox are on the outside looking in on making the Wild Card game for the 2019 playoffs. With a few months left in the season, the starting rotation is a major question mark for the reigning World Series champions in trying to repeat as champions.
The Boston Red Sox are currently 11 games back of the 1st place New York Yankees in the A.L. East and 2 games back on the second-place Tampa Bay Rays.
They are currently in the mix for the Wild Card playoff game, sitting 3 games back on securing a spot in the playoffs
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I understand that there is a lot of baseball left to play this season, but with the trade deadline quickly approaching on July 31, fans have reason to worry about where the rotation currently stands.
Chris Sale, Rick Porcello, and Eduardo Rodriguez have started the most games for the team, and not a single one of them has an ERA below 4.00.
This is a bit alarming considering Sale was dominant last year and Rodriguez was a solid starter for the 2018 squad.
Let’s look at Chris Sale for example.
Before his win on July 18 this year, the last win Sale had was over a month ago and his first win at Fenway came after the All-Star break. Pretty uncharacteristic of what we have grown accustomed to seeing from the hard-throwing lefty.
The only starting pitcher to not struggle this season is David Price, who has been having a statistically good year with his 3.61 ERA.
It also doesn’t help that the only rotation acquisition the organization has made this season was bringing in Andrew Cashner.
While he is having a solid season, pitching to a 3.81 ERA, Cashner got roughed up in his first start for the Red Sox and isn’t the elite arm on the trading market fans were hoping for.
Nathan Eovaldi was also supposed to factor in the rotation this season after resigning with the team, but surgery on his elbow and early season struggles are now seeing the right-hander being handed the closer’s role instead of returning to the rotation.
With the likes of Madison Bumgarner, Marcus Stroman, and Trevor Bauer being potentially on the move before the trade deadline, the Red Sox may need to pony up some prospect capital if they want to reach the postseason in 2019.
With the starting rotation still struggling to find their groove halfway through this season, some insurance in the form of one of the previously mentioned pitchers could bring the team further up the standings in order to secure at least a Wild Card spot.
There is still a lot of baseball left to play this season, but it may be difficult for the Boston Red Sox to continue winning games if the starting rotation keeps performing the way they are.
Could the starting rotation turn things around before the end of the season? Sure, it is possible. Anything is possible in baseball.
Is it unreasonable to go out and get an insurance starter to fill out the 5th rotation spot and move Cashner or Porcello to the bullpen? I don’t think so.
It would obviously cost a lot to acquire a pitcher like Bumgarner, but the front office will have to weigh the pros and cons of trying to return to the playoffs with their current squad and rotation.
On a positive note, one of the pitchers I mentioned earlier is starting to find his rhythm.
Eduardo Rodriguez has won his last three games in a row, giving up only 4 earned runs during that time span. During these games, he has also struck out 18 batters and has seen his ERA drop 0.30 points.
In the long run, the next 10-11 days will be very telling on how the team will be when it comes to the dog days of summer baseball.
By not acquiring another starting pitcher, the Red Sox organization will be putting a lot of faith in their core pitching staff to hopefully figure out their struggles in order to make the playoffs and win ball games.
If the team does go out and acquires some quality pitching depth, they will be adding some insurance which could help elevate the team to the postseason with some key wins in August and September.
This is obviously not a guarantee, as any new addition could become injured or could pitch poorly down the stretch.
Regardless of the route the front office decides to go, there will be a substantial risk with any move they choose.
With roughly two months left in the season, every game is going to count for the Boston Red Sox, given how tight the Wild Card playoff race is becoming.
The risk will be whether giving up some assets of the future will help the team make the playoffs this year to repeat as champions, or if the current squad can regroup and bring the team back to the glory they experienced last season.
If rival teams add some firepower to their organizations and the Red Sox miss out on the playoffs by being a few games back, it will be a real kick to the nuts to know that one or two starters could have given the team a chance to go back-to-back as World Series Champions.