After going at least six innings and throwing at least 91 pitches in each of his last three starts, it was concerning when James Paxton didn’t return for the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday evening.
The veteran left-hander was only at 63 pitches when the fourth ended. Within the hour, the Red Sox announced that he’d departed with right knee soreness.
Postgame, Paxton admitted that he felt his knee flare up “a little bit” during his last start in Minnesota, but attempted to assuage concerns by saying that he thinks he’ll be ready for his next start.
“I think I’ll be, I’m good going forward,” the veteran southpaw told reporters. “Just a little bit of soreness.”
“No concern,” Alex Cora agreed. “He was sore, so we were thinking ahead.”
But given Paxton’s importance to the pitching staff and the fact that he missed almost all of 2021, all of 2022, and the beginning of this season due to injuries, the Red Sox will have to err on the side of caution. Their injured list is currently in the double digits, and that’s not including players who’ve already returned from missed time. During this ongoing road trip alone, they’ve added Corey Kluber, Reese McGuire, and Pablo Reyes to the IL.
While recovering from April 2021 Tommy John surgery, Paxton signed a unique 1-year contract with the Red Sox for 2022. He ended up missing the entire year when he suffered a lat tear during his first rehab game. After the team declined their 2-year club option on him, he exercised his $4 million, 1-year player option for the current season.
Paxton began the season on the injured list, which enabled him to slowly ramp up. He’s anchored the rotation since his May 12 debut on May 12. Including Saturday, which was his eighth start of the year, his work has ranged from solid to dominant. Aside from getting shelled by the Angels in Anaheim at the end of last month, he’s allowed no more than three earned runs in each of his starts, and no more than two in six. Saturday was only his second time not pitching into the fifth.
Over four innings, he’d been nearly perfect, which made his abrupt removal all the more jarring. The 34-year-old left-hander held the White Sox to a hit and solo home run, didn’t issue a walk, and struck out three.
To make matters worse, Josh Winckowski took over and pitched his worst outing of the year. After only allowing three home runs in his first 42 ⅓ innings of the season, the usually-reliable right-hander matched that total in just two frames.
A pair of familiar faces also made life difficult for the visiting Sox. Andrew Benintendi had a 3-hit game and didn’t strike out. Joe Kelly made a relief appearance that included no hits, a strikeout, and a sudden mid-inning disappearance into the dugout tunnel not unlike when Manny Ramirez used to wander through the Green Monster’s door during games.
Chris Murphy was the only Red Sox pitcher with a scoreless day. The rookie held the White Sox to just one hit and struck out three in his two innings.
Other than that, highlights were few and far between. Rafael Devers and Jarren Duran were firing on all cylinders. Devers reached base safely three times on a pair of singles and a walk, and scored the first run of the game. Duran had a multi-hit game and stole three bases, bringing his season total up to 14, one more than any Red Sox player had last season.
Triston Casas went 2-for-4 with a run and pair of RBI. In the sixth, the rookie first baseman briefly retook the lead for Boston with a 2-out, 2-run homer, his second round-tripper of the week. Over his last seven games, he’s 10-for-29 (.345).
“I’m at a point where I’m not really thinking out there. Just letting my natural ability take over,” Casas explained of his recent success. “I like where I’m at with my swing, I’m feeling balanced.”
But for most of the day, the visiting team was too quiet at the plate, especially when presented with opportunities to add on. Masataka Yoshida and Adam Duvall were a combined 0-for-8 with three strikeouts, Connor Wong was 1-for-3 with a pair of Ks.
Early on, the Boston bats had no answer for Lance Lynn; the White Sox starter struck out seven, and held the Red Sox to one run through the first five frames. Casas only got to him at the very end, bringing the veteran’s total to three earned runs on six hits and a walk.
Through eight innings, the Red Sox were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position, leaving seven men on base, so when Kendall Graveman entered for the top of the ninth and got two quick outs, it looked like the visitors would go quietly into the Chicago evening. It was then that Duran came up and singled on the first pitch, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball, and scored the tying run on Justin Turner’s single.
“That was electric,” Casas said.
But while Graveman’s struggles didn’t end there, he was ultimately able to avoid total implosion. With Bobby Dalbec on first as the pinch-runner, the White Sox reliever walked Masataka Yoshida and Devers to load the bases for Adam Duvall, who struck out to leave them that way. Make that 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and 10 men left.
For the second game in a row, Kenley Jansen entered, this time, looking to maintain the tie and force extra innings. Until the ninth, the White Sox had scored all of their runs on solo homers, and when Jansen got two quick outs, it looked like the contest would head to the 10th.
That’s when pinch-hitter Gavin Sheets singled and his pinch-runner, Zach Remillard, stole second base and scored on Elvis Andrus’ walk-off single.
“He just blooped it,” Jansen told reporters. “Obviously, I want to get it done, and it stinks.”
But minutes after the loss, the veteran closer was ready to turn the page.
“This is nothing man, you know we gonna come back,” he said. “I’ve been in lots of situations like this. Nothing you can do, man. Just flush this one out and come back and give your best again.”
Hopefully, the next page has his teammates driving in more baserunners.