MIAMI – Last season, the Red Sox left themselves perilously thin in the starting pitching department, enough so that, in late May, they were in the market for other rotation options.
A few weeks later, they claimed Doug Fister on waivers and Fister proved to be an important acquisition. Late in the season with David Price readying to return as a reliever and Chris Sale faltering, there were times when Fister was their best starter. He was good enough to earn a postseason start.
In the off-season, the Red Sox didn’t add to their rotation, even as the stagnant free agent market offered them some bargains. And when Drew Pomeranz (strained flexor tendon) joined Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) and Steven Wright (knee) on the injured list, the Sox seemed to be short on starters even before the season got underway.
They appeared top-heavy, with two former Cy Young Award-winners (Price and Rick Porcello) joining staff ace Sale as part of a talented front end, but dangerously understocked beyond that.
The last two days, however, may have changed that perspective.
Two turns – one each from Hector Velazquez and Brian Johnson – does not a season make, particularly when the opposition is as offensively feeble as the Tampa Bay Rays and the Miami Marlins.
But it’s worth noting there are plenty of teams on the schedule in the business of bottoming out, so there will be more games and more scenarios like the ones the Sox faced in the last 48 hours. And Velazquez and Johnson don’t have to be dominant; they just have to be competitive.
On Sunday, Velazquez amped up his fastball velocity from his spring starts and checked the Rays on a single run on five hits over 5.2 innings. Then, Johnson pitched one out deeper with an almost the identical line score in the Red Sox' 7-3 triumph Monday night at Marlins Park.
Johnson surrendered a solo homer to start the second inning, but very little else of consequence. He mixed a curveball and changeup in liberally and threw strikes, a task which got easier after the Red Sox slumbering offense awoke in the middle innings and began adding onto their lead.
.@Brian_Johnson35 final line: 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 1 HR pic.twitter.com/eKXKusBu0L
— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 3, 2018