The Red Sox need some bullpen help and they need it fast
BOSTON -- If the first half of the season was an indication that the Red Sox are a team worth investing in, the first four games out of the All-Star break are proof that this team needs help at the trade deadline. An already taxed Boston bullpen continued to struggle Monday night in Colorado, sending the team to its fourth straight loss out of the break.
The Red Sox need some help out of the pen, and they need it fast. Craig Breslow shouldn't wait until next week's trade deadline to acquire a reinforcement or two for his pitching staff. By then, it may be too late.
An already overworked Boston bullpen is missing its closer for the team's three-game set with the Rockies, with Kenley Jansen skipping out on the trip to Colorado because of a heart condition. With the bullpen already down setup men Justin Slaten and Chris Martin, it was already going to be a taxing series for Red Sox relievers.
They had to put in five-plus more innings in Monday night's 9-8, 12-inning loss to the Rockies. Zack Kelly tossed a 1-2-3 ninth inning for Boston in a 5-5 game, but with his team up 7-5 in the 10th, the righty reliever threw an unfortunate changeup to Sam Hilliard, which the Rockies slugger crushed for a game-tying, two-run homer.
After the Red Sox took an 8-7 lead in the top of the 12 off a Wilyer Abreu RBI single, Bailey Horn and Chase Anderson couldn't lock things down in the bottom of the inning. The Rockies tied it just three pitches into the frame when Jack Cave singled in ghost runner Brendan Rodgers. Five batters later, with two out and the bases loaded, Ezequiel Tovar plated Cave with a line single for the game-winning run off Anderson.
Monday night accounts for two of the five blown saves by the Boston bullpen since play resumed out of the break. The bullpen is 0-3 with a 7.20 ERA over 15 innings of work over the last four games, giving up 12 earned runs off 17 hits -- including four homers.
Add Monday night's loss onto the weekend sweep the Sox suffered in Los Angeles, and Boston has matched its longest losing streak of the season. It's come at a bad time too with the Royals victorious in all four of their games out of the break and the Yankees going 2-2. Boston was two games up on the Royals in the AL Wild Card race ahead of the break, but now sit two games back of Kansas City and Minnesota, and 5.5 back of the Yankees for the top Wild Card spot. They are now seven games behind the Orioles in the AL East.
This Red Sox team showed tons of resolve throughout the first half as Alex Cora navigated several injuries to the pitching staff (and club in general) to keep the team in the race. Their surprising first-half record was proof that Cora can squeeze every ounce of promise from a team -- but now they need help from the front office.
Even when Jansen returns to the mix, the Red Sox could still use an additional arm or two. Adding a starter and a reliever would be ideal, giving Cora a lot of different options with the staff.
The Red Sox losing four straight should not be a signal to the front office that they should just let this team play things out. The team was in all three games against the powerhouse Dodgers, and were a few pitches away from ending their streak against the Rockies on Monday night. With a stronger, more reliable bullpen, the team would not be winless since the All-Star break.
This four-game skid should further hammer home that this team is right in the mix this season, but could really use a trade or two to bolster the club's chances.