Boston Red Sox have three top-tier pitchers leading the way

The Boston Red Sox are atop the AL East, and they have the chance to build an even larger lead if Chris Sale, David Price, and Drew Pomeranz continue their dominance.

When Chris Sale steps on the mound for the Boston Red Sox, fans are expecting 10 K’s and a win. Now, Sale has been aided by the pitching of fellow staff members David Price and Drew Pomeranz. Both had their fair share of struggles early on, but have turned into top-tier pitchers over the last few months.

The Red Sox would like to build a larger lead in the AL East, but two pitchers (Rick Porcello and Doug Fister) keep dragging them back down. It seems like Sale, Price, and Pomeranz will have to be ON every night until Eduardo Rodriguez gets back to form. It seems now that Fister should be done in the rotation.

For now, let’s take a look at how those top three pitchers are getting things done for Boston.

Sale by the numbers

Chris Sale has been dominant in 2017. His worst games are average games for other pitchers. Though he’s just 11-4 in 19 starts, his record could be even better as some games were losses or no decisions thanks to a weak Sox offense.

Sale leads the way for MLB pitchers with 191 strikeouts, and he’s second with a 7.958 strikeout to walk ratio. His ERA sits at 2.59 as of this post as he’s only allowed 39 earned runs in 135.1 innings pitched. Sale certainly has to be the favorite to win the AL Cy Young this year if he continues to pitch the way that he has so far.

Price’s turnaround

I’ve made my fair share of criticisms of David Price this season, but it’s time to give him some credit. Over the last 30 days, Price’s numbers are second only to ace Chris Sale on the Boston staff. He has gone 3-1 in 5 starts with a 1.91 ERA, 34 K’s, and only 5 walks. It seems like Price has found his stuff, and I hope he doesn’t lose it.

Price was criticized earlier in the season both for his on-field performance and his interactions with the Boston media. Now, the media and fans shouldn’t even think about complaining about his media relationship, because he’s actually pitching well. In a Red Sox uniform, that’s all the fans need from you.

Keep it up, David. I want to see you silence the haters and become dominant in the postseason.

Where’d this Pomeranz come from?

When you look at Drew Pomeranz’s stat line for this season, it looks rather pedestrian, but he has turned things up over the last few months. On the year Drew is 10-4 and has a 3.51 ERA, 39 walks, and 108 strikeouts. Early in the season, he was struggling to make it through even just 5 innings.

Over the last 30 days, you can see the improvement Pomeranz has made. Over that span, he is 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 6 games. He’s given 36 total innings, so he is finally averaging 6 per start once again. The improved ERA over the last 30 days puts him right behind the other two guys mentioned before, Sale (1.61) and Price (1.91).

If Drew Pomeranz can hover in the same area in terms of production on the mound, the Red Sox should be in a great position to win the AL East and compete in the postseason.

How ERod can help

Eduardo Rodriguez is back in the Boston Red Sox rotation and hopefully, he can return to form and become the pitcher we all know he can be. If ERod can become a solid 4th option for John Farrell, ahead of Rick Porcello, Boston is going to be stacked on the mound in the postseason. A few bullpen arms may be added before the MLB Trade Deadline as well, making the Sox a tough team to take down.

Boston could choose to go with a four-man postseason rotation, and Rodriguez has a chance to beat out last season’s Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello for the final slot. What do you think of the current three-headed

Next: Machado to the Red Sox?

What do you think of the current three-headed Sale, Price, Pomeranz pitching monster? Do you think ERod has a chance to rise to dominate as well? Give us your thoughts on Twitter @CandCFansided!

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