The 2020 season was not a good one for reliever Josh Taylor, and based on the first month, it didn't look like 2021 was going to be much better.
But following an April that saw him rack up an 8.68 ERA over 10 appearances, during which opposing batters hit .400 against him, Taylor has turned things completely around.
Since then, Taylor has made 11 appearances in May and hasn't allowed a run in that span. In that stretch, Taylor limited batters to just four hits in 27 at-bats (.148). And three of those hits came in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Miami Marlins.
Even those hits were gifts. One was an off-the-end-bat roller down the third-base line that, with the shift in place, resulted in the softest double you're likely to see. Two more "hits'' followed -- a dribbler to third baseman Rafael Devers, who was positioned too far back to make the play, and a swinging bunt comebacker to the mound. Of the three hits, the hardest-hit one was all of 62 mph in exit velocity.
Before Saturday, the last hit he allowed had come back on May 6.
So what turned it all around? Not even Taylor is sure.
"I just try to take it a pitch at a time,'' he said. "The beginning of the season started out a little rough. You've just got to try and take the good from it and not focus too much on the bad. It's a feel thing -- when things are going right, you kind of just ride the wave. (Having confidence shown by manager Alex Cora) helps me be better. It helps me trust myself. To be able to execute pitches, having that confidence from the dugout can drive you to get through an inning.''
The Sox held Taylor out of action for nearly a week after he struggled at the end of April, during which time he made some small adjustments. They were as much mental as they were physical in nature.
"I've been using the same pitch mix,'' he explained, "but I'm executing now. I'm not throwing a pitch way out of the zone, that isn't competitive or doesn't get (swung at). I'm just fine-tuning my pitches and making every one count. You get to the point where things aren't working and you've got to do something to change it. This game is hard; it's not going to be handed to you. You've got to look at what's been working and what's not been working. I had a couple of outings early on where I don't feel like I pitched too bad --I just had bad results.
"You've just got to take the good and (forget) about the bad. This game is based off energy and momentum. You can't feed off the bad stuff. You've got to look at what you're doing well and just ride that and trust the process.''
As a whole, the Red Sox bullpen's performance has improved across the board. The team's collective bullpen ERA is at 3.55, good for fifth-best in the American League and ninth-best in all of MLB. It also reflects a huge improvement -- more than two whole runs -- over last season.
"We're clicking down there,'' said Taylor. "Everyone's confident and every time that phone rings, everyone's ready to go. Everyone's locked into the game. We're just waiting for our turn. I can't tell you about one person down there who isn't ready to take the mound once that phone rings.''
Closer Matt Barnes (12-of-13 in save chances) has been among the most dominant relievers in the game and the remainder of the Sox relievers see their job as building a bridge to him for the ninth inning.
"We're very confident that if we get to the ninth inning with a lead, we're going to come away with a win,'' he said. "So our job, as set-up guys, is, from the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth inning, is to (get out) the inning with the lead and get the ball to Barnesy.''
__________________________________
The Red Sox-Marlins game set for Sunday at 1:10 p.m. was postponed about 20 minutes after the scheduled first pitch, with rain expected through the afternoon.
The game was re-scheduled for June 7 at 5:10 p.m.
The Red Sox left for Houston after the rainout, where they'll begin a big seven-game road trip -- four with the Astros and three with Yankees in New York next weekend.
The Red Sox pitchers in Houston, adjusted for Sunday's rainout, will be:
Monday: Eduardo Rodriguez
Tuesday: Garrett Richards
Wednesday: Nick Pivetta
Thursday: Nathan Eovaldi