Rest Does Wonders For Red Sox Bullpen In Improved Outing

BOSTON -- There is no secret that the Red Sox bullpen is more than feeling the effects of a long season.

Boston's relievers have thrown the fourth-most innings in all of baseball. Lately, it's created a challenge for a ballclub that is still trying to produce deeper outings from the starting rotation.

As a result, the bullpen took nearly a full rest over the last four days, including losses where Chris Murphy and Kyle Barraclough each had to record at least 12 outs while the rest of the unit recovered from a heavy workload.

On Wednesday, most leverage arms were ready to go and entered the game looking to stop the string of runs as the Houston Astros opened up a 6-0 lead in the third inning. Joe Jacques struck out Jon Singleton to end the frame.

Garrett Whitlock started the fourth inning with a chance to bridge some arms and get more than three outs. The right-hander featured good movement and velocity on his sinker, finishing two innings with two walks and two strikeouts. While he did allow a run, Whitlock got six outs.

John Schreiber and Chris Martin each followed with scoreless innings and a single strikeout apiece as two of Boston's primary setup men pitched to form against the middle of the Astros lineup.

Kenley Jansen also made his first appearance since Aug. 23 in Houston when he exited the game with right hamstring tightness. With a chance to get in his work for the first time in the week, the Red Sox closer also posted a scoreless frame and a strikeout.

"We needed him to pitch," Alex Cora told reporters after the game. "He made good pitches. Velocity was up. That was a good one for the big guy."

The lockdown frames from the bullpen kept Houston at bay and gave the offense time to respond, leading to a four-run sixth inning to make the game competitive. While the Red Sox ultimately fell in the series finale, the effort from the relievers did not go unnoticed.

"Luckily, the bullpen was able to keep the game in range," Crawford said after his start.

As a whole, Boston's bullpen delivered 6 1/3 innings with just one run allowed on five hits. If the Red Sox can get quality starters can go deeper into games to protect the staff's freshness, Sunday served as a reminder of just how good the bullpen can be.