Sick of seeing David Price on the mound in the playoffs, Boston Red Sox fans?
Well, you probably should prepare yourselves to see him again — and really soon.
Price, of course, suffered another playoff disaster Saturday night, surrendering three runs in 1 2/3 innings in Boston’s 6-2 loss to the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the American League Division Series. And with Nathan Eovaldi slated to start Game 3, Rick Porcello likely pitching Game 4 and Chris Sale in line to take the mound in a potential Game 5, it was fair to wonder whether Price would see the mound again in the best-of-five series.
Redemption, however, might be found via the bullpen.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora plans to use Price as a reliever at some point during the next 2-3 games, according to MLB.com’s Ian Browne. Where and when Cora expects to deploy Price remains up in the air, though.
“Obviously we need outs,” Cora said, via Browne. “Actually, we were just talking about him, me and (pitching coach) Dana (LeVangie), and there were a few things that we noticed, actually the last few weeks, that he’s not doing the way he did in those 11 outings or whatever it was.
“I know physically he’s fine, and we know where we’re going. So most likely we’ll use him in some spot, yeah. …Â “We’ll talk to him. Actually, I’ll call him tonight, see how he feels. If it’s (Monday), it’s (Monday). If it’s Game 4, it’s Game 4.”
Red Sox fans would be justified in feeling nervous at the thought of Price coming out of the bullpen in a playoff game at Yankee Stadium. The numbers, however, suggest using Price as a reliever would be the best course of action.
