Column: Rough outing by Fister a reminder that Red Sox need injured lefty to return

The last time Doug Fister faced the Cleveland Indians, he fooled them with an assortment of two-seamers and breaking pitches, keeping them off balance while limiting them to just two runs over 7.2 innings.

On Monday night, against Cleveland, he wasn’t quite so fortunate. Fister left pitches up, which were hit hard, and issued four walks – three in the same inning – and got an entirely different result. He was pounded for five runs before he could get through the fifth inning in a 7-3 loss for the Red Sox.

All of which is not to criticize Fister, who, after all, is here as a depth starter, and the last two times through the rotation, he more than did his job. It is a reminder, however, how much the Red Sox need David Price if they’re going to more than make a cameo appearance in the post-season this October.

(And yes, we’re painfully aware of Price’s not-so-stellar October history. But that’s a discussion for another day).

The larger point remains: for the Red Sox to accomplish anything this fall, they’re going to need a deep rotation, preferably one that includes a healthy Price.

Starters like Fister who are capable of eating innings on their good nights and inducing contact, are fine for the 162-game grind. With veteran fill-ins, you’ll lose some and win some. No team gets through the six-month-long slog without depending on reinforcements and Fister is better than most in that regard.

But the playoffs are a different animal.  By definition, you’re facing better lineups and better starting pitching, making it less likely you can win slugfests. Precisely because you can’t expect to score many runs, you had better make sure that you’re not allowing many, either.

That’s where Price – tortured playoff history and all – comes in. When he’s healthy and on, he can dominate, something of which Fister isn’t capable. Without a dominant pitch, he needs to be virtually perfect with his location and command. When he’s not, it can get ugly in a hurry, as it did in both the second and fourth innings Monday.

Price gives the Red Sox an honest-to-goodness ace. You’ll take your chances with him, even when matched up in a Game 1 duel with, say, Corey Kluber. But teams can’t get far in the post-season on one starter alone.

Drew Pomeranz has been something of a revelation, with a dozen wins and a 3.39 ERA. But he’s never started a post-season game and there’s an element of the unknown that surrounds him. Rick Porcello stumbled last October, and that was following a Cy Young award-winning season. Eduardo Rodriguez? Who knows?

Price is no guarantee, by any means. He’s winless as a starter in the playoffs. But he does have a track record of success in the American League and if he can figure out a way to translate that to the post-season, the Red Sox would have an unbeatable 1-2 combination.

The duo of Sale and Price would represent the best of any American League contender, the Astros and Indians included.

In seven starts with the Red Sox this season, Fister has a 5.30 ERA. Three have been pretty good (quality starts) one’s been OK (five innings, three earned runs) and three have been lousy.

That’s the definition of mediocre. When Fister carries the Sox into the sixth or seventh inning, he’s done his job and avoided overworking the bullpen. There’s value to that over the course of the season.

But mediocre starting pitching isn’t an ingredient of post-season success. For that, the Red Sox need better. What they need is Price.

Unsurprisingly, the Sox are twisting themselves into strange positions to avoid offering up any sort of timetable for Price’s return. He’s yet to throw off a mound, meaning he’ll need at least a couple more weeks of side sessions and live batting practices. And that’s before he has any rehab starts to prep him for major league hitters again.

Price comes with no assurances – either in terms of his elbow/forearm holding up, or his performance in October.

But in the big picture, he’s a far better bet than Fister, as the Red Sox were again reminded Monday night.