Boston Red Sox: Kyle Kendrick Delivers Another Strong Outing
Kyle Kendrick continued his solid spring with another strong outing, throwing four scoreless innings in the Boston Red Sox 4-0 victory.
It’s only March, but non-roster invitee Kyle Kendrick is gaining the early inside track to make the Boston Red Sox roster.
And if he keeps it going, he may very well end up playing an important role in Boston’s 2017 season.
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Kendrick threw four innings in Friday’s 4-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. He didn’t allow a run while striking out two, continuing to build on what has already been a solid spring.
In three appearances, Kendrick has thrown nine innings with an ERA of 3.00. He is using an array of pitches–notably the sinker and cutter–to allow the defense to make plays behind him.
A year after not pitching in the major leagues, Kendrick is the early pace car for a staff looking to add valuable depth. As Steven Wright and Drew Pomeranz are yet to make their first spring training start, Kendrick is getting plenty of opportunities to impress.
A non-roster invitee to spring training, Kendrick last pitched in the big leagues in 2015. He has a career record of 81-81 with a 4.63 ERA.
Adding Depth Behind Big Three
Rick Porcello, Chris Sale, and David Price have the top three spots in the rotation locked. Behind them, it is a guesswork of available pitchers.
Wright, Pomeranz, and Eduardo Rodriguez appear to have the inside track to be next in line. While Wright and Pomeranz are yet to pitch, Rodriguez is 2-0, striking out four in five innings.
A battle to add depth has emerged, with Kendrick currently the unlikely front-runner. Henry Owens and Brian Johnson are among others in this fight, but both have struggled in the early going.
Owens has thrown five innings and has posted an ERA of 12.60. He has struck out nine but continues to struggle in finding consistency.
Johnson has made three appearances, posting a 5.40 ERA.
At this point, given his performance, Kendrick is in line for making the roster. On top of that, if he continues to pitch well, Kendrick should also be given consideration as the fifth starter.
Is he a long term solution? Most likely not, given he hasn’t posted an ERA under 4.00 since 2012. But with valuable major league experience and a minor league contract with his first opt-out not until June, Kendrick is worth keeping.
If Wright and Pomeranz both pitch well in their first appearances, Kendrick would still be valuable. Kendrick would be a serviceable option if the Red Sox decide to have Price miss a few starts in April just to buy him more time to heal his injured elbow.
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March baseball can be difficult to gauge, but if Kendrick continues down this path, he’ll find himself on the Boston roster when the calendar flips to April. And for the Red Sox, the more experienced arms the better.