This season hasn’t been easy for Rick Porcello, but it appears that the Boston Red Sox right-hander is rounding into form, and not a moment too soon.
Porcello collected his fourth consecutive win Sunday, as he allowed one run on three hits while striking out four and walking three in a 5-1 Red Sox win over the New York Yankees at Fenway Park.
With left-hander David Price’s return to the rotation from a stiff elbow in question, Porcello’s recent uptick in performance has to be a sight for sore eyes.
Porcello is 4-0 in August with a 4.07 ERA, but over his last three starts that ERA drops to 2.84. And on Sunday, Porcello showed a pitch that could become a valuable weapon as the Sox enter the stretch run — his slider.
The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner tossed 19 sliders against the Yankees, surrendering contact on only two of the spinners, both of which were groundouts. He also recorded six swing-and-misses on the slider for a percentage of 31.6.
Couple that with Porcello’s normal dominant sinker, a sharper than normal curveball and an ability to pound the strike zone, and the Red Sox might have regained an ace who has struggled for much of the season.
“This is four consecutive times out for Rick where he’s come out and he’s been able to work ahead in the count, his command has been consistent and that’s the biggest key with Rick,” manager John Farrell said, as seen on NESN’s Red Sox postgame coverage.
“I thought he had a good curveball here (Sunday), but he set the tone for us, we score a couple of runs, he goes out and puts up a big zero, which always maintains the moment. So, good to see him be on the roll that he’s on and we’re starting to score some runs when he’s been on the mound, most importantly.”
The Red Sox’s run support for Porcello might be the most important development of what has been a red-hot August for Boston. Coming into August, the Red Sox were averaging 3.86 runs per game in Porcello’s starts, but the offense has exploded behind the righty this month, averaging eight runs per game in four starts.
If this trend continues for Porcello, he gives the Red Sox a surefire No. 2 starter to slot behind ace Chris Sale as the playoff push intensifies.
Here’s a look at more notes from Red Sox vs. Yankees.
— Porcello has been very good against the Yankees in his Red Sox career.
— While the Red Sox don’t know when or if Price will return to the rotation, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is optimistic the left-hander will return this season.
“We’re still in a spot where — of course, until he goes out there, we will be concerned,” Dombrowski said Sunday during an interview on MLB Network Radio. “We’re still hopeful that he can be in a position that he can pitch for us this season.”
— Aaron Judge has struggled against the Red Sox in the second half.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
