Boston Red Sox: Team needs David Price to perform well in postseason

The Boston Red Sox are once again heading to the MLB playoffs. For David Price, hopefully that means good news this time.

The Boston Red Sox officially clinched a 2018 playoff birth on 9/11 with a 7-2 win against the Toronto Blue Jays. Their next step is taking the division, which will probably occur over the next couple of days, if not weeks.

The Sox have dominated for most of the regular season. Very rarely have they looked vulnerable. In fact, according to Baseball-Reference, their longest losing streak of the regular season is a meager three games. Not including off-days, Boston has spent 139 days in first place in their division as of September 19.

Part of the reason for their unheralded success is starting pitcher David Price. The 10-year veteran is having his best year with the Sox since 2016 when he posted a 17-9 record in 230 innings pitched.

More from Chowder and Champions

According to MLB.com, the lefty is 15-7 with a 3.53 ERA and 171 strikeouts. His post-All Star numbers have been especially impressive, as Price is 5-1 with a 2.00 ERA since that point in the season. Even with a contract worth over $200 million, as well as some injury issues still looming, Price still looks a lot better than he has in the past couple of years.

After two strong starts against the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays, where he recorded a combined 17 strikeouts, the former Tampa Bay Ray struggled mightily against the rival Yankees in the second game of a three-game series on Wednesday night.

Price only pitched 5.1 innings, giving up four earned runs and four walks. The past week in general was a perfect representation of his inconsistency, especially in his three-year tenure with Boston.

Price in the playoffs

Unfortunately, Price has been worse than inconsistent in October. His career playoff record is 2-8 with a 5.03 ERA, according to Baseball-Reference, and he’s been specifically horrendous in the American League Division Series, where he’s only conjured up a 1-7 career record. Luckily, Price looked a lot better in the 2017 ALDS against a tough Houston Astros lineup.

The southpaw pitched six innings of relief, gave up no runs, and struck out six. He even seemed to gain some fans after the performance, which is crucial considering much of the Sox faithful have been harsh towards Price’s tenure (which is warranted considering he hasn’t played at that same Cy Young level since Tampa).

Time is not on Price’s side. The lefty is 33 years-old and entering another postseason where issues could arise. His rough outing against New York on Wednesday was not the first time the former ace has had trouble with the Bronx Bombers.

Back in a July game, Price also gave up five homers to the Yanks in a loss. Price in general can’t find his footing on the road, specifically when it comes to manufacturing runs. His ERA on the road is double what it is at home in 2018, according to MLB.com (2.85 at home, 4.31 on the road). He’s oddly been worse against left-handed hitters as well, which is pretty unusual for a left-handed hurler.

The good news is the Sox look poised to have home-field advantage for the entire postseason, which will bode well for someone who struggles away from Fenway. On the other hand, this is the first time Price will start in the playoffs since his horrible outing against the Cleveland Indians in 2016, where he gave up five runs in three innings.

Hopefully, Price will treat these October games as if they were the regular season. If he can mitigate his inconsistencies, and not turn this into a mental thing, then he has a shot of breaking the curse.

Next. It’s beyond time David Price called Yankees his daddy. dark

However, with his massive contract eating up all of Boston’s flexibility, and a terrible track record in the playoffs, Price is on thin ice. People are already skeptical of him, and Price’s goal this October is changing that.

Home/Boston Red Sox