Garrett Richards has had a few tumultuous outings this season, but he's trying to keep things simple.
The Boston Red Sox starter had his latest bumpy outing Monday against the Kansas City Royals. He gave up five runs across the first two innings, but as often is the case, settled down in the following frames. He ultimately allowed just the five runs over 5 2/3 innings, but it came on 11 hits with only three strikeouts.
Fortunately for Richards, Hunter Renfroe and the Red Sox offense bailed him out and earned a 6-5 win in the series opener of the four-game set at Fenway Park.
Richards has had a topsy-turvy season, but at this juncture there are just a couple of things on his mind.
"Stay in the zone, be competitive, give us a chance to win," Richards told reporters after the game, as seen on NESN. "That's all I care about."
Ultimately, Richards did give the Red Sox a chance to win Monday. But the way he's pitching obviously isn't necessarily sustainable, because the offense isn't going to be able to bail him out every time.
Richards has had some impressive starts this season, so Boston knows what the upside is for him. It's just a matter of getting him there.
