“Today is a reminder that we are all Boston Strong. This is the time of year for hope. This is the time of year for Boston.”
These sentiments were part of a moving pre-game ceremony centered on the 10th anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombing and Major League Baseball’s annual Jackie Robinson Day.
It just hasn’t been a very hopeful time for this Red Sox pitching staff.
Boston’s starting rotation has allowed more home runs than any other team’s, and they’re the only team in the majors without at least one start longer than five innings.
But buoyed by a sold-out Fenway, an unusual amount of catcher’s interference, and some clutch hits, the Red Sox took Game 2 of the series, 9-7, coming from behind twice before Kenley Jansen slammed the door.
Taking the mound for the second contest of this seven-game homestand, Nick Pivetta only lasted four innings. He allowed six earned runs on five hits, walked three, struck out four, and hit a batter. He threw 99 pitches (57 for strikes), and needed 56 just to get through the first two frames.
It was surprising to see pitching coach Dave Bush walking out to the mound for a visit with two outs in the first inning. The decision to use one of five allotted mound visits so early seemed like an overreaction to Pivetta’s early struggles, but then, he gave up a grand slam to Gio Urshela. The only other grand slam of the former Yankee’s career was also against the Red Sox, on Aug. 21, 2020.
With a hit-by-pitch, walk, and catcher’s interference call, Pivetta re-loaded the bases in the second inning. Quick glove-work by Christian Arroyo, who’s in the 88th percentile in Outs Above Average this season, enabled the starter to escape the inning.
Angels starter Tyler Anderson didn’t fare much better. He also only pitched four innings, and gave the Red Sox six earned runs on eight hits, walked four, struck out two, and threw two wild pitches.
The pivotal players in Saturday’s come-from-behind extravaganza were Rafael Devers and Yu Chang.
After the Red Sox fell behind 4-0 in the top of the first, Devers answered back immediately, clobbering his second home run in as many days, to cut the deficit to 4-2 (Rob Refsnyder was on with a double). His seven home runs are tied for the MLB lead, and lead the American League.
Yu Chang, who entered the game hitless on the season, contributed two hits, both to score the go-ahead runs. His first hit of the season was a home run to the DraftKings sign atop the Green Monster. His four RBI tied a career high from June 2021.
The other pivotal moments were the three catcher’s interference calls. Around Major League Baseball, there were 13 CI calls so far this season, none within the same game. On Saturday, the Red Sox had one, and the Angels had two, both in the eighth inning.
“Just like we drew it up,” Alex Cora joked when he sat down in the interview room after the game.
The quip couldn’t be farther from the team’s current reality.
Through 15 games, they have 11 errors, second-most in the majors. The pitching staff has allowed 139 hits (t-4 in MLB), 78 earned runs (6), and 83 runs total (t-5).
They’re lucky to be 7-8, and that’s still the worst record in their division.
Almost nothing about this season has gone according to plan, and that dates back to January, when they lost Trevor Story to UCL internal brace surgery. Adam Duvall only played eight games before fracturing his wrist. Zack Kelly’s elbow pain doesn’t align with the tests they’ve run thus far. Even Masataka Yoshida’s hamstring ailment, which isn’t severe enough for a stint on the injured list, but is worrisome enough to keep him out of the last four games. Cora says “there’s a good chance” he’ll play Sunday, after previously saying it was definite.
It’s now more than two weeks into the season, the question remains the same as it was the first weekend: how long can the Red Sox overcome their own pitching on top of their opponents’?