Price shines in relief, but impact limited by scoreboard

HOUSTON – David Price pitched out of the bullpen as well as the Red Sox could have possibly hoped Friday. Problem was, the Red Sox were already trailing – again – by multiple runs.

When the Red Sox made the decision to have Price pitch in relief when he returned from the DL in September, it was with the thought that he could navigate some tough going in the middle innings and helped build a bridge from a Boston starter to the back end of the bullpen.

Price did exactly that Friday in Game 2 of the ALDS, retiring eight of the 10 hitters he faced while also working out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam he inherited.

But by then, it was too late. The Sox were trailing 4-1 when he entered in the third inning. Price made sure it stayed that way by getting Yuli Gurriel to pop harmlessly to short before retiring Marwin Gonzalez on a foul pop-up behind the plate, stranding three baserunners.

In the fourth, he worked around a one-out double by George Springer and a two-out intentional walk to superhuman Jose Altuve to contribute another scoreless inning, then retired the Astros one-two-three in the fifth.

He was dominant and powerful, commanding all of his pitches and frequently gunning his fastball in the mid-90s. He was also largely irrelevant.

Price bought the Sox some time, but he couldn’t swing the bats for them. Nor could he help that the Astros’ offense got re-ignited the inning after he left the game, pouring in on against Eduardo Rodriguez and Addison Reed for four more runs en route to another 8-2 whipping of the Sox.

“He’s throwing the ball very well,’’ said manager John Farrell of Price, who left the clubhouse before the media was allowed entrance and wasn’t available to reporters. “He comes in with his back against the wall in a key spot, gets two big outs to end the threat (in the third). He’s throwing the ball very, very well. (He had his) cutter to both sides of the plate, has shown a feel for his changeup…the full assortment of pitches that he typically has.

“He’s done a very, very good job.’’

But the Sox envisioned Price doing what he did with a lead, or at least, in a more competitive game. That’s not Price’s fault, of course. The lineup isn’t producing and the starting pitching isn’t keeping the Sox in games.

“Price has been great,’’ said starter Drew Pomeranz, who was cuffed around for four runs in just over two innings, thus creating the deficit. “Every time he’s come in out of the bullpen this year, he’s completely shut the other team down. He’s a huge weapon for us out there.’’

If either Pomeranz or the offense had produced, a game like Friday’s could have gone a long way in restoring Price’s standing in Boston and helped mitigate against his history of underperformance in the post-season.

Instead, it was just a fine outing in a lost cause.  Since making his first relief appearance a few weeks ago, Price has made six outings, totaling 11.1 innings without allowing a run.

The Sox can only hope that he can offer them more of the same Sunday, in a contest that has meaning. It would be nice for him to pitch ahead rather than merely keeping the game within reach.

“The way he’s bounced back,’’ said Farrell, “I would anticipate he would be ready or available. But we’ll check and see how we get through (Saturday’s) workout and how he bounces back. But that would be my anticipation at this point.’’