What was once a major weakness for the Boston Red Sox now is perhaps its biggest strength.
The Red Sox had been plagued by bullpen issues all season for different reasons. As the starters struggled earlier in the year, the relievers had around three days in any given turn of the rotation during which they’d have to pitch more innings than they’d like. The fatigue left the bullpen ravaged by injuries around the All-Star break, and all the while they struggled to keep the Red Sox in close games.
But those days seem to be over, as the Red Sox have the best bullpen in baseball in September.
Boston’s relievers have a collective 0.77 ERA this month after Joe Kelly, Robbie Ross Jr., Matt Barnes, Robby Scott and Brad Ziegler tossed four scoreless innings in Friday’s 2-1 win over the Tampa Bays Rays. The Baltimore Orioles were the only team that had a bullpen ERA under 2.00 heading into Friday’s games at 1.78. And that fact is making the Red Sox absolutely dominant.
Friday’s win was the Red Sox’s ninth straight, and with the bullpen performing at such a high level since gaining some extra arms with September call-ups, it’s hard to imagine they don’t win the majority of their final eight games. The bullpen was the last piece of Boston’s puzzle, as its offense has been ruling Major League Baseball all season and its starting pitchers have been performing well since the All-Star break. The improvement has allowed the Red Sox to retain slim leads like Friday’s and come back in close games like they did in three out of their last four games against the New York Yankees.
While it remains to be seen whether the Red Sox’s relievers will show up in the postseason, what they’re doing now will almost certainly get them there.
Here are some more notes from Friday’s win.
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— The Red Sox’s magic number to clinch the American League East is at four after the win. Baltimore beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2 on Friday, meaning Boston’s magic number to clinch a playoff berth remains at two games.
— David Ortiz hit an early two-run moon shot to give the Red Sox their only runs in the first inning. Plenty of his teammates and coaches were impressed after the game, including Mookie Betts. The home run was measured at 411 feet, but the right fielder told reporters he thought it went 500 feet, per the Providence Journal’s Brian MacPherson.
And if Ortiz’s home run wasn’t impressive enough, it also was his 1,190th extra-base hit, tying Lou Gehrig for 10th most all-time.
— Rays starter Chris Archer said something a lot of pitchers probably have been thinking this season after Ortiz took him deep.
— Betts went 3-for-4 on Friday and now leads Major League Baseball in hits with 207.
— There’s no word on when Steven Wright might return to the mound, but he could be back with the Red Sox as early as Sunday. The knuckleballer has been rehabbing in Fort Myers, Fla., and Boston’s goal is to have him throw a bullpen Sunday, per MacPherson.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
