McAdam: In a lost season, one Red Sox stat represents just how bad it's been

Start with the most telling (and obvious) numbers of all: 16-29.

That's the Red Sox' won-loss record, and it neatly encapsulates how bad the 2020 season has been. Hint: historically bad. As in, worst, potentially, since 1930 when it comes to winning percentage.

A lot has gone into that lopsided figure and the team's assignment to the A.L. basement -- the injuries, the under-performance, the complete inability to beat quality teams (2-15 combined record against the Yankees, Rays and Braves).

But one other number gives some special insight into precisely why it's been as bad as it's been. That number is 14.

As in 14 different starting pitchers. Mike Kickham, who tossed four innings in the Red Sox' win against the Rays Thursday night, became the 14th different Red Sox starter, which gives you some insight into how sideways the year has gone.

It's noteworthy, too, that among those 14, the names that are missing. On that long list, both Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez are absent because of injuries/medical issues. Had Sale and Rodriguez taken regular turns, the Red Sox almost certainly wouldn't have been challenging the Rays for first in the division. But it's a safe bet that they wouldn't be en route to their worst record in 90 years, either.

With Sale (Tommy John surgery) and Rodriguez (COVID-19, myocarditis) removed from the equation, the Sox have had no choice but to patch-and-fill. They've utilized journeyman, relievers and nearly every pitcher imaginable in-between.

Unsurprisingly, it hasn't gone well. The Sox have been either tied or trailing after six innings in 28 of their 45 games, largely because their starters have too often spotted opponents big leads in the early going. Collectively, heading into Thursday night, Red Sox starters had compiled a ghastly 6.39 ERA. That's too much for the best lineup to overcome, never mind one that includes some veterans who, almost two months in, still can't get on track.

Moreover, the team has just five quality starts and all five have come from the only two established starters on the roster: Nathan Eovaldi and Martin Perez. Taken together, opponents have hit almost .300 against Boston starters. And until Chris Mazza finally broke into the column in the nightcap of Tuesday's doubleheader in Philadelphia, Eovaldi and Perez were the only starters who had earned victories as starters for the Sox.

It would be one thing if the Red Sox were looking ahead to 2021 and using this lost season as an opportunity to get some prospects a little big league experience. But they're not -- and for good reason.



Jay Groome, the organization's best pitching prospect, is nowhere near ready. Neither is Bryan Mata, who struggled some when he was promoted to Double A last season and also needs additional development time. And Noah Song is away fulfilling his commitment to the Navy.

Instead, the Sox are using some relievers as openers and filling in the rest of the spots with 4A guys -- pitchers caught in that murky netherworld between Triple A and the major leagues.

They've used middle reliever Colten Brewer, who's been remarkably inefficient with his pitch count. They've used Zack Godley, currently spending time with his fourth organization since last August. They've turned to Matt Hall, who was waived by the Detroit Tigers. They've taken a look at Josh Osich in the opener's spot, then traded him. And Kickham was in on Thursday night, making his first start in the big leagues since 2013.

They used Robinson Leyer, a rookie. And they've used Ryan Weber, who continues to showcase more as an effective long reliever.

In short, none of these guys are part of the solution. If any of them get even a chance to start for the 2021 Red Sox, something has gone very, very wrong.

Most of this, it should be noted, is not Chaim Bloom's fault. When he took over last fall, he had reason to think he was inheriting a competitive starting rotation, headed by Sale, David Price, Eovaldi and Rodriguez. When he signed Perez to a one-year free agent deal, it was the idea that Perez would be a back-end piece.

Then came the injuries, the ordered budget-cutting and from the first weekend of this bizarro season, Perez has been thrust into the No. 2 spot in the rotation. That promotion was by default and speaks volumes.

Forced to adjust on the fly, Bloom turned to a series of small deals and waivers claims, while resisting the temptation to rush prospects who clearly weren't ready. The results have been both desultory and entirely predictable.

And don't for a moment think that the number of starters used has stabilized. In the final couple of weeks, it's expected that Tanner Houck will get a look-see, and so will Nick Pivetta -- with the latter stuck in Pawtucket  until Sept. 18, after which point the Sox will get another year of control thanks to some service time manipulation.

Maybe both Pivetta and Houck can make an impression in the final quarter of the season and position themselves to compete for spots next year. If so, they would be marked as exceptions in a rotation that has been even worse than expected.