Earlier this season, if the Boston Red Sox pitching staff faltered, the offense was there to pick them up.
But the offense is struggling right now, and one of Boston’s top arms knows that no matter what, the pitching has to get better.
“That’s what I think, is we have to get better if we want to make it to the playoffs: Just start pitching better every time,” Eduardo Rodriguez said Tuesday night, via The Boston Globe. “Relievers, starters, I feel like we’ve got to put it together.”
Rodriguez’s comments came following an 8-4 loss to the American League East-leading Tampa Bay Rays. The Red Sox led 4-1 entering the sixth inning, but then proceeded to allow one run in the sixth, two in the seventh and four in the ninth to seal their fate.
Matt Barnes and Garrett Whitlock, two generally steady pitchers, were at the center of the bullpen collapse. Meanwhile, the Red Sox have had to tweak their rotation as their starters struggle to get through five innings.
Rodriguez, for his part, allowed two runs on four hits with eight strikeouts and a walk over 5 1/3 innings Tuesday. Not a bad outing given the way things have gone for him this season. If nothing else, he gave his team a chance to win.
The Red Sox will be the first to admit there are problems everywhere right now. But in order to stay in the thick of the playoff race, they know they have to get better.
