McAdam: Red Sox forced into 'Plan B' after short start from David Price

Given their issues of late, the absolutely last thing the Red Sox probably wanted to do Thursday night was to put the game in the hands of their bullpen.

After all, the bullpen had blown a lead Monday night in the ninth inning, then lost the game in the 11th. The next night, Bobby Poyner was smacked around for five runs in three innings, turning an early slugfest into a mid-round TKO.

But David Price gave them no alternative. The lefty had the worst game of the season, and as he humbly noted, allowed more runs (six) than he recorded outs (four).

That forced the Sox to ask their relievers to deliver a minimum of 23 outs. Which they did. Without allowing another run.



Somehow, seven Red Sox relievers cobbled together the final 7.2 innings, culminating with the first major league save of Josh Smith's career.

"They did an outstanding job,'' said Alex Cora after the Red Sox somehow navigated their way to a 7-6 victory over the Texas Rangers. "We went to some guys in different roles today. They kept the game in check.''

It should be noted that, of the seven, not a single run had a simple, 1-2-3 inning all night. Even Colten Brewer, who was charged with getting a single out in the fourth, walked a batter before striking the next one out.

It wasn't always pretty. But it was, ultimately, effective.

"There were a lot of outs today out of the pen,'' said Brandon Workman, "but we were able to step up and cover it. We had traffic on the bases a lot, almost every inning. But we were able to make big pitches as a bullpen when we needed to. It was nice to work through it.''

Workman knows of what he speaks. In the seventh, with the game still tied 6-6, Workman allowed a one-out walk, a single, and after a strikeout, another walk, loading the bases. He then increased his own degree of difficulty by falling behind 3-and-0 to Delino Deshields.

Knowing that one more misfire would force in a run, Workman proceeded deliberately, walking to the back of the mound after every pitch. Then, one by one, he got back to a full-count before getting Deshields to swing through strike three, leaving the bases full.

High stress, high leverage.

"We put ourselves in some spots out there almost every inning,'' said Workman, "but we were able to come up big make pitches when we needed them. It was a big night for the team and for us as a pen. It should be a confidence-building night, that we were able to get the job done in big situations because almost every one of us were faced with then throughout tonight.''

Things were made even more challenging later in the game by the unavailability of Heath Hembree, who's evolved into one of the team's most reliable late-inning weapons of late, having allowed just one earned run since April 25, covering some 20 appearances.

Hembree tried to get warm in the seventh, but felt some tightness in his forearm and was ruled out. After the Sox took the lead in the seventh and with the middle of the Texas lineup due in the eighth, Cora was forced to go to Matt Barnes in the eighth, an inning earlier than he would have liked, given how things were unfolding.

And because Barnes was pitching for the second straight day and third time in the last four, there was no option of sending him back out for the ninth.

Instead, the call went to Josh Smith, who had never recorded a save in the big leagues and had just three in his pro career.

The inning didn't begin well. Smith plunked Logan Forsythe to start and after Forsythe got erased on a force play, Rougned Odor stole second, putting the potential tying run in scoring position. Smith then struck out pinch-hitter Nomar Mazara and the decision was made to walk Shin-Soo Choo to pitch to the righthanded-hitting Deshields.

Over a handful of pitches, DeShields flied harmlessly to center for the final out.

"He's our new closer,'' joked Cora.

"That,'' said Smith, "was a lot of fun. I think I'm still shaking. But it was great. That's what makes baseball what it is.''

Four outs from the starter.

Twenty-three from seven relievers.

Some nights, you just have to improvise.