DENVER — Fix it and show it.
That’s Dylan Cease’s mindset about his final starts of the 2023 season, which has been fine but nothing like 2022 when he finished second in American League Cy Young voting.
Cease, who takes a 4.32 ERA into his major league high 27th start of the season against the Rockies Sunday, believes he and pitching coach Ethan Katz have honed in on some mechanical adjustments that can get him closer to the form of 2020 that helped him post a 2.20 ERA.
“I think I have,” Cease said. “Seven more starts to see.”
Cease knows he needs to command his top-tier stuff, lower his pitch counts and go deeper in games. In his last two starts, he said he’s had a better feel after a couple of fixes.
“In the last two I’ve had a better feel in general. I just have to perform and show it,” he said.
Cease walked a whopping seven Yankees but allowed one hit and no runs in 5 1⁄3 innings Aug. 6 and pitched seven innings of two-run ball with two walks and five hits allowed against the Brewers last Sunday.
“It was basically staying closed with my upper half and my lower half,” he said. “Just synching it up and staying closed on the mound.”
Cease’s four-seam fastball velocity is showing at 95-96 mph compared to 96-97 last season and his spin rates are similar.
“The biggest thing is, when you’re not closed they see it a little bit easier,” he said, “and you create a little less power. We have six or seven starts to go out and show it.”
The Sox were trying to avoid falling 27 games below .500 Saturday, playing against a 47-75 Rockies team who clobbered themm 14-1 the previous night. Cease is the least of the Sox’ concerns heading into next season, but he knows he could have been better in 2023. And he knows his body of work isn’t complete.
“It’s not as fun as when you have a good year,” he said, “but I still think this year has been decent and there’s seven starts to salvage even more. Just having a good year like [2022] shows you what your ceiling is, and a year like this is you have to keep battling, keep going through it. Ultimately in years like this you find out more about yourself. And it builds up more character for the long run.”
Scholtens struggles
Jesse Scholtens had his worst outing Saturday, walking five batters, allowing five hits and putting the Sox in a 5-1 hole. Scholtens, who owned a 2.88 ERA over his last eight appearances (three starts) needed 86 pitches to complete three innings.
Elvis Andrus stole home on Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland’s throw to first in the first inning, his eighth career steal of home.
Sosa comes through
Lenyn Sosa is getting a look-see at second base with Tim Anderson out serving a suspension. A night after driving two balls for deep outs, he drove in Carlos Perez (single) and Oscar Dolas (double) with a single in the fifth.
Sosa said he’s trying to stay calm and relaxed at the plate.
“I know the kind of talent that I have,” he said through translator Billy Russo. “I know what I can do. And it’s just a matter of me bringing all that together and display it here.”