Friday night in Cincinnati provided a window into how the Red Sox intend to use David Price in the post-season. If utilizing Price in relief works as well in October as it did against the Reds, the Red Sox will be more than satisfied.
Rick Porcello started the game, but was off from the beginning. In addition to allowing a grand slam to Scooter Gennett in the first inning, Porcello also demonstrated some spotty command, issuing three walks while also hitting a batter.
The Sox rebounded to take a one-run lead in the fourth, but Porcello didn’t come back out for the fifth. Instead, the Sox called on Price.
Price, who last threw on Sunday, was pitching with four days’ rest. That enabled him to be used a little more liberally Friday in the Red Sox' 5-4 win over the Reds.
For the second straight outing since returning from the DL, Price was sharp. He allowed a hit in the fifth, sixth and seventh, but none was particularly hard-hit. Two of the singles were bloop singles into the outfield and another was on a groundball.
He was also economical with his pitches, needing just nine pitches to get through his first inning of work, despite allowing a hit. In Price’s first inning last Sunday at Tropicana Field, he recorded three outs on seven pitches.
Price struck out four and walked one, and ate up 2.2 innings. His velocity again hit 95 mph with his four-seam fastball and he mixed in his secondary pitches in nicely. Watching Price on the mound, you saw a pitcher quickly getting comfortable with his new role.
Farrell acknowledged after the game that he likely wouldn't have been so aggressive in lifting Porcello had he not had Price available.
Calling upon Price when he did may have been part of Farrell’s plan to ready him for the post-season. There are likely to be games in the playoffs in which the starter has an off-night and needs to be lifted before a game gets away from the Sox.
Having Price in reserve could be a real asset in such scenarios. Instead of going with a long reliever, or conversely, chewing up three of four relievers to get through the middle innings, he can designate Price as his long bridge to his back end relievers.
That was the case Friday night at the Great American Ballpark. With two on and two out in the seventh and the righthanded Eugenio Suarez due, Farrell went to Addison Reed, who got Suarez on a flyout to center. Reed then handled the eighth, too, before turning things over to closer Craig Kimbrel in the ninth.
Expect this formula to be repeated in the post-season. If Farrell can get multiple innings out of Price, it will allow him to use his three best pitchers in the bullpen – Price, Reed and Kimbrel – and only his three best relief pitchers.
What’s more, the built-in off-days in the playoff schedule will allow him to do so. He won’t be able to use Price for multi-inning usage every game, but then, with Chris Sale, he won’t have to.
Some Red Sox starters, however, have difficulty with efficiency and are unlikely to pitch deep into post-season starts. Presumed Game 2 starter Drew Pomeranz is a perfect example of a starter who, while dominant at times, isn’t always efficient. In 30 starts, he’s made it past the sixth inning only eight times.
It would be easy to envision Pomeranz being asked to give the Sox six solid innings in a start, with Price handling the seventh and eighth and Kimbrel brought in for the ninth. Such a deployment would save the likes of Reed or Carson Smith, preserving them for other matchups later in the series.
There’s no guarantee that Price is going to be as impressive against the Astros or Indians as he was against two losing teams, the Rays and Reds.
But if he can come close to replicating the duration and quality of his first two relief appearances, the Sox could have a valuable bullpen weapon in October.