While Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz scuffled and tried to find their way back to success, Doubront was providing surprising stability from the most unlikely of places — the fourth spot in the rotation.
He has given up three earned runs or less in 10 of his 13 starts, good for a 4.17 ERA. He’s rung up 81 batters in 73 1/3 innings, giving him a strikeout rate per nine innings of 9.94 that ranks fifth in the majors.
Most importantly, he’s put together an impressive 7-3 record, one that he’ll take into Wednesday night’s game against the Miami Marlins. Currently, he’s on pace for 17 wins, and 20 wins is not out of the question even if his ERA remains above 4.00. After all, Buchholz was sporting a 8.31 ERA a little over a month ago, but had still managed to scrape together four wins and a winning record.
The Red Sox offense gives the talented young lefty an outside shot at a 20-win season. Do you think he can do it?
