McAdam: Welcome to the upside down Red Sox bullpen

It's the baseball postseason, so you know what that means: Forget everything you know.

Because everything you thought you knew is wrong. Starting with the Red Sox bullpen.

For much of the second half of the season, Red Sox fans clamored for bullpen reinforcements because the bridge to closer Craig Kimbrel was anything but secure. Dave Dombrowski was vilified for not being more proactive at the deadline.

Worse, Dombrowski had the nerve to suggest that the likes of Ryan Brasier and Joe Kelly were pitching better and could be dependable relief options.

At least the Sox had the ninth inning locked down with Kimbrel, he of the fastest-to-300-career-saves achievement.

And yet, here we are, in the American League Championship Series, and none of it going to according to plan.

Yes, the Red Sox have bullpen issues. No, they are not related to the sixth, seventh or eighth innings. Instead, Kimbrel, the flame-throwing closer, is the reliever creating all the angst.

The rest of the puzzle, however, seems to be coming together. Take the Red Sox' 7-5 thriller over the Houston Astros Sunday night at Fenway.

Matt Barnes and Ryan Brasier combined to toss 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing one hit between them. Then came the nightly starter-in-relief portion of our program, with Rick Porcello reprising his Game 1 ALDS role.

"The bullpen's going well right now,'' said Barnes. "We were always confident in what we can do and getting the job done and we did for a good (portion) of the year. Everybody's throwing the ball well right now and we're going to keep building on that move forward.''

Only when it the ball was handed to Kimbrel -- along with a three-run lead -- did things get hairy. Kimbrel, who walked the narrowest of escape paths in Game 4 of the ALDS in New York, was only a little more locked in Sunday. After two quick outs, there was a double by George Springer, a wild pitch, a run-scoring single from Jose Altuve, and finally, the nerve-wracking high fly ball from Alex Bregman to left that Andrew Benintendi later revealed was blown back to him as he stood on the warning track, his back quite literally to the wall, for the final out.

This is the new reality, for October at least. The guys that made you hide under the covers are lights out. The sure-thing guy in the ninth is making you a nervous wreck.

Starter David Price got the Red Sox into the fifth, with the lead, leaving 13 outs for the relievers. First came Barnes, who struck out Marwin Gonzalez to strand the two inherited runners left by Price.

"My mindset? Get him out. Get. Him. Out,'' said Barnes. "Honestly, it sounds simple, but you get him out any way possible."

Barnes then came back for double duty in the sixth and got three quick outs.

Brasier was next, overcoming a two-out walk. Next was Porcello, all turbocharged and filling up the zone. Of the 18 pitches he threw, 15 were for strikes. Three up, three down.

"Awesome,'' said Barnes, shaking his head in amazement. "Big spot in the game. He goes out there and punches out two in a row and puts up a zero. That's what you love to see."

Porcello has become this October's 'X-factor,' evolving from starter to reliever when necessary. He got two huge outs in the eighth in Game 1 of the ALDS, then reverted to the rotation for Game 4, giving the Sox five innings with one run allowed in the clinching Game 4.

"Nobody's really got a chip on their shoulder, an ego about the role they're playing,'' said Porcello. "Everybody's taking the ball and giving us a chance. All bets are off right now. It's whatever we've got to do to win ballgames.''

There is no master plan anymore. There is no strict "eighth-inning'' guy. There is no blueprint. Alex Cora is going out-by-out, making it up as he goes along. His leash is shorter and his sense of urgency is greater. If he doesn't like what he sees, it's on to the next available arm.

"You never know what inning you're going to pitch now,'' said Barnes. "You really don't. It can be the fourth, it could be the ninth. You really don't know.  Everybody's trying to pass the baton. You do your job, pass it to next guy. He does his job and passes it to the next guy and that's kind of the approach we're taking.''

Against all odds, it seems to be working. It's not traditional and it's not premeditated. But it is, somehow, strangely effective.

Roles? They're for June or August. Those days are gone.

"It's all hands on deck,'' said Barnes. "If you're tired, you find a way. It's October and that's what you do.''