Why Red Sox’s Alex Cora Chose Bullpen Game Over Triple-A Starter

The Boston Red Sox lost 7-1 in their series finale against the Texas Rangers on Sunday at Globe Life Field.

In the game, manager Alex Cora elected to use all bullpen arms , in order to push Garrett Whitlock’s start back a day.

The alternative option would have been to call up a starter from Triple-A Worcester, as the Red Sox have a few major-league ready arms waiting for an opportunity. Cora explained following the defeat why he stuck with options on his current roster.

“I think roster-wise it was going to get complicated,” Cora said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “We got the guys that we have here and then we actually, we got what we wanted, you know? Five innings and we had it set up for the rest of the day. We didn’t make pitches in that sixth inning and we weren’t able to get to the next level, to the last part of the game.”

While the corresponding move might have made a call-up difficult, Connor Seabold rubbed salt in the wound by pitching a gem for the WooSox after the Red Sox bullpen allowed seven earned runs with six of them coming after the fifth inning.

The 26-year-old right-hander hurled six scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, one walk and struck out 11 in a 7-4 loss to the Rochester Red Wings. 

The Red Sox will try to bounce back against the Houston Astros on Monday with Whitlock on the mound at Fenway Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET following an hour of pregame coverage, and you can watch it all on NESN.