On the day the Boston Red Sox introduced Dave Dombrowski as president of baseball operations — Aug. 19 of last year — they beat the Cleveland Indians to improve to 54-66 on the season. They were on their way to their second consecutive last-place finish in the American League East and their third in four seasons.
Dombrowski obviously knew what he needed to do. The biggest issue he faced was retooling a pitching staff that finished 14th in the AL in ERA and 10th in 2014. Dombrowski went about fixing those issues in a big way with the acquisitions of front-line starter David Price and All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel.
Through the first two months of Dombrowski’s first full season at the helm, it appeared the Red Sox were heading in the right direction. Boston even spent a couple of weeks atop the AL East and held a 32-20 record on June 1.
But …
The Red Sox slugged their way out of the gates, but the signs of trouble were obvious. Price flashed signs of being a $200 million ace, but he has been far too inconsistent for much of the season. Eduardo Rodriguez missed a chunk of time and has been relatively ineffective upon returning. Joe Kelly got hurt (after posting a 8.46 ERA to go along with a WHIP that’s easily over 2, earning him a trip to Pawtucket). Boston banished Clay Buchholz to the bullpen. Circumstances dictated a return to the rotation, and on Sunday, Buchholz allowed three runs in the first inning, lasted just five with a taxed bullpen behind him — and it was considered a relative success.
The problems, mainly the pitching, aren’t surprising. The offense clicking at a borderline historic pace overshadowed early season deficiencies. But that pace was, quite frankly, unsustainable.
All of a sudden, the Red Sox are averaging 3.3 runs per game since June 12. Unsurprisingly, they’re 5-9 over that time, going from tied for first in the AL East to four games back.
These sorts of numbers were typical of the Red Sox across the board in the first two months, and quite frankly, it’s incredible they were able to sustain that sort of pace for that long. But as the offense has fallen off — or regressed to the mean — the pitching continues to be, well, less than average. Despite Dombrowski’s best efforts, there still are big issues with this pitching staff.
It’s not just the starting rotation, either. Despite having baseball’s 10th-best bullpen ERA, Red Sox relievers also have scuffled lately. There’s no overstating the loss of Carson Smith, an absence that can be felt throughout the bullpen. Look no farther than Koji Uehara’s meltdown Wednesday against the White Sox (and the nine runs he has allowed in 11 innings of work since mid-May) as evidence that having to use a 41-year-old as a back-of-the-bullpen arm often is less than ideal.
After Sunday’s loss to the Texas Rangers, a defeat that dropped the Red Sox to 9-14 in June, Dombrowski held court with reporters in Arlington, acknowledging the club’s obvious issues.
“We’re scuffling right now,” Dombrowski said, stating the obvious. “It’s just the way it is. We’re not pitching very well, but we’re not playing very well overall. We need to snap out of it.”
Of course, there’s more than one course of option when it comes to fixing this club’s woes. There’s hoping the club can “snap out of it,” or there’s also going out and making something happen. Dombrowski insisted the trade market has yet to open in earnest, saying only a handful of teams are ready to deal pieces, and he doesn’t want to rush to make a move and burn himself and the team’s long-term health in the process.
That’s understandable, of course. Dombrowski is a baseball lifer who has done this multiple times at multiple spots across the baseball. He has been on the Boston job for less than a year and has the benefit of the doubt — for now.
However, we saw the high end of the Red Sox’s potential in the season’s first two months. They have an undeniable core of young, impact players. Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. at their best are among some of the best young players in baseball. They’re just entering their primes, and it would be a shame to see a season in which all three are healthy and clicking (not to mention this being David Ortiz’s final season) wasted because the Red Sox can’t find the answers on the mound.
The good news, however, is the Red Sox are about to begin a six-game stretch against the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Angels, two last-place teams who are a combined 24 games under .500, the former being a team that has lost 11 in a row. That should allow the Red Sox to stay afloat, but that alone isn’t going to fix the pitching, either in the rotation or the bullpen.
There’s about a month left before the trade deadline, and Dombrowski has his work cut out for him. After a fast start to the season, expectations for this team are understandably high. This is the first true test of Dombrowski’s tenure in Boston.
No one said it was going to be easy.
Thumbnail photo via Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports Images
