There is no question the Boston Red Sox have made a vast improvement across the board in their all-around play as of late.
Their 19-5 record in June is remarkable, and took efforts from all facets of their roster. That said, one writer highlighted just how much better the pitching has been since the calender turned over.
So what has changed?
"In short, the Red Sox started pitching at an elite level -- especially their starters," Boardroom's Shlomo Sprung wrote Monday. "After registering a 4.44 ERA as a team in May, that number is down to 2.66 in June."
A season ago, Nathan Eovaldi emerged as a legitimate frontline starter for Boston with Chris Sale's future in jeopardy. A year later, and Nick Pivetta appears to be making the same leap.
"Pivetta has emerged as the team's ace, going 4-1 with a 2.11 ERA in May, and following that with a nearly identical June (4-1, 2.12)," Sprung continued.
While notable, Pivetta might not be the pitcher with the biggest turnaround, as Michael Wacha has made an arguably greater ascension.
"Michael Wacha's career has been a journey, going from being an All-Star in 2015 at age 23 to a disappointing journeyman with a 10-16 record and a 5.11 ERA over 285 innings the last three years," Sprung wrote. "Now, he's a Red Sox revelation. He's 6-2 with a 2.34 ERA across 65 2/3 innings to date, including 3-0 with a 2.19 ERA in June."
The depth of the rotation is there as well. While Nathan Eovaldi and Garrett Whitlock have been sidelined for the better part of the month, players like Rich Hill and even rookie Josh Winckowski have been pleasant surprises. Kutter Crawford has gotten the job done as well.
Now, Sale is making rehab starts and nearing a return. Whitlock is on the mend as is James Paxton. Eovaldi appears to be taking longer than expected but is still due back at some point in the regular season.
Meanwhile, the bullpen has a 3.16 ERA in June and finally returned to traditional form, with Tanner Houck claiming the closer role and John Schreiber setting him up and handling other high-leverage duties.
