Red Sox Bullpen Suddenly Sharp In Seattle In Time For Stretch Run
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- If the Red Sox are going to make the American League playoffs, they're going to need to win more close games than they have. That could come down to the performance of the bullpen - and it's an encouraging sign that they turned in one of their best performances of the season in Seattle, just as the team gears up for the stretch run.
In desperate need of a split in their four-game series with the Mariners, the Red Sox bullpen stepped up big-time with five scoreless innings after starter Drew Pomeranz allowed just two earned runs in the first six frames of the Red Sox' 3-2 extra-inning win. Though Brad Ziegler shut the door in the bottom of the 11th, the most encouraging performance came from incumbent closer Craig Kimbrel.
The Red Sox offseason trade acquisition hasn't been at his best when called upon in non-save situations or when he had to get more than just three outs, so it was refreshing to see him enter in the middle of an inning and get the out he needed to escape a huge jam. Entering the game with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and runners on first and second, Kimbrel would usually make you nervous in that spot, but instead got Robinson Cano to ground out to end the inning.
Speaking of Cano, John Farrell decided to pull lefty specialist Fernando Abad in favor of Kimbrel to face him. Abad had just given up a three-run homer to the Mariners second baseman to lose the game on Tuesday night, so Farrell ostensibly didn't trust Abad - again, a lefty specialist - enough to give him a second chance at getting that out. Spoke volumes.
Despite Abad looking like a shaky addition at best, Kimbrel cleaned up the potential mess he created in the bottom of the ninth then absolutely slammed the door shut with three strikeouts in the bottom of the 10th.
"I feel like anytime I can get [my curveball] over for a strike or just show one or two I can throw for strikes, I can get guys swinging a little bit," Kimbrel told reporters after the game. "That's what happened tonight."
Ziegler got in a bit of trouble after he walked the leadoff man in the bottom of the 11th and allowed the runner to get to second on a sac bunt, but he got two straight outs from there, including a strikeout to end the game. He said he felt cool and calm in the situation, despite the runner taking big leads from third base in reaction to the shift put on by the infield.
"I really didn't feel that nervous. I just wanted to make sure he wasn't going to run," Ziegler told reporters after the game. "And I don't throw the hardest to get it to home really quick. So the first time when I took off after him I just wanted to see if he would maybe slip and fall or something and then I could beat him to the bag. Other than that I was pretty focused on pitches I needed to make."
If Kimbrel and Ziegler can be that strong of a one-two punch at the back end of the bullpen, even in tight, difficult circumstances like they faced in the late innings Thursday night, the Red Sox bullpen may be in better shape than once believed. Abad's meltdown Tuesday night was bad optics and Farrell is already showing a lack of confidence in him, but he won't be counted on in key spots like Kimbrel and Ziegler will.
Elsewhere in the bullpen, Robbie Ross Jr. pitched a clean seventh inning while Junichi Tazawa struck out the side amid allowing a line-drive single. Matt Barnes, who has been one of the most reliable arms in there, was not used.
The Red Sox will still have some stiff competition in the late innings of ballgames as they battle for a playoff spot in August and September, but their prospects for competing well in those spots got a bit of a boost Thursday night. If Kimbrel can start closing games regardless of the situation, Ziegler can hold down the eighth inning setup role, and the rest can keep games close in the middle innings, the team will have a much easier time winning these close games than it may appear.
The games are only going to get tighter from here on out. The Red Sox need Kimbrel and Ziegler to lock it down in the toughest of situations if they want to have success. They got some Thursday night, and hopefully it will continue.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.