The 2023 Red Sox are competing against two opponents:
Other teams, and their own starting pitching.
The Red Sox scored 9+ runs in each of their first three games of the season for the first time in franchise history, and are only the third team in MLB history to do so.
But the bats aren’t showing out just for fun. In their first two games of the season, the lineup faced six-run deficits early, and had to attempt to overcome them. They were unable to do so on Monday night, and fell 7-6 to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Through four games, Tanner Houck is the only starter to pitch deeper than four innings. He’s also the only one to pitch a scoreless first inning. Each of the other three starters allowed five or more runs before exiting.
Kutter Crawford became the latest starting pitcher to get shelled in his season debut when he took the mound for the series opener.
A 32-pitch first inning resulted in three runs that were originally unearned, but later changed to earned. The 27-year-old righty fared better in the second inning, allowing a solo home run to Bryan Reynolds, but striking out two.
Overall, much like Chris Sale on Saturday, it was an outing full of contradictions. Crawford went four innings and allowed seven earned runs on eight hits (including three home runs), walked two, and struck out six. He threw 93 pitches, 59 strikes, and got 15 swings and misses. He used five pitches, but command was spotty, especially his changeup and slider.
Crawford made 21 appearances for the Red Sox last year, including 12 starts and three games finished, with a 5.47 ERA and 4.34 FIP. He allowed 47 earned runs across 77 1/3 innings, walked 29 batters, and struck out 77. Other than average strikeout and whiff rates and fastball spin that ranked in the 90th MLB percentile, he landed between below-average and poor in all of the percentile rankings.
“I don’t think we put him in a bad spot last year, because I thought he was, he looked good in the bullpen, the way he was throwing 97 with the breaking ball,” Cora told reporters before Monday’s game.
Still, the skipper acknowledged, “We limited his weapons, to put it that way. We put him in a spot that he’s never done.”
There are a few contributing factors to the pitching struggles. Pitching in frigid temperatures can impact grip and velocity.
And of course, Crawford is in the rotation because Garrett Whitlock, Brayan Bello, and James Paxton weren’t ready to start the season for a variety of injury- and recovery-related reasons. Whitlock can be activated next week, and the Red Sox plan to add him to the rotation. Given how well Houck pitched on Sunday, Crawford seems the likelier candidate for relegation.
But it’s also fair to wonder how many times the bats will be able to overcome endless deficits. They won’t be able to sustain this run production for an entire season.
And they shouldn’t have to.