Drew Pomeranz often has been thought of as the weak link in the Boston Red Sox’s rotation, but he’s been anything but that over his past seven starts.
The Red Sox left-hander entered Tuesday night’s game against the Minnesota Twins without a win in his previous three starts despite posting a 3.00 ERA over that stretch. And while Pomeranz only lasted five innings in Boston’s 9-2 win over the Twins, his ability to fight through two rain delays is the latest example of his value to the Red Sox pitching staff.
Pomeranz mowed down the first six hitters of the evening before sitting down for a 90-minute rain delay. But while a lot of starters might have turned the game over to the bullpen, the 28-year-old stayed loose and shut down the Twins, allowing one unearned run on four hits while striking out seven in five innings.
He was able to mix his pitches effectively, using his cutter and changeup to get out of the only jam he faced during the fifth inning. The Twins already had scored a run and were threatening with runners on first and second and one out, but Pomeranz buckled down and rung up Jason Castro and Brian Dozier to end the threat and finish his outing on a high note.
Pomeranz is 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA in his last seven starts, a run that also includes a poor outing against the Detroit Tigers in which he gave up five runs in 4 1/3 innings. He now has 10 starts of at least five innings and two or fewer runs allowed, including five of his last six starts.
Pomeranz’s ability to spell the bullpen Tuesday night, coupled with his recent dominant stretch, should give the Red Sox reason to believe the lefty can be a powerful weapon in the back end of the rotation.
Here are more notes from Red Sox vs. Twins.
— Chris Young’s three-run home run against the Twins on Tuesday was the Red Sox’s first three-run homer at Fenway Park since April 5, and their first three-run shot anywhere since June 1.
— Dustin Pedroia has run into seven outs on the bases this season, which is tied for the most (with teammate Andrew Benintendi)Â in Major League Baseball.
— The Red Sox also have run into 39 outs as a team, which also is tied for the most in MLB.
— Christian Vazquez hit his first home run since May 1, 2016, during the second inning of Tuesday’s game.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
