Red Sox: Nathan Eovaldi shuts down Yankees with masterful consistency

Boston Red Sox flamethrower Nathan Eovaldi is putting it all together this season and he has finally found the right pitch:  Consistency.

In another strong start, Eovaldi pitched six innings, giving up just two earned runs and struck out seven in the team’s 5-2 win over the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium Friday night.

With the victory, the righty improved his overall record to 7-2 with a 3.78 ERA.  With all the ingredients to be a dominant pitcher on the mound, Eovaldi has lacked consistency throughout his time in the Major Leagues.  Well, he has seemingly found it this season and it is paying dividends for Red Sox as a team and obviously the pitcher himself.

"“I think it’s just the consistency of my off-speed pitches,” Eovaldi said during his postgame video conference, via NESN.  “I’ve been feeling really good mechanically, there’s just a couple things I want to stay on top of, but first pitch strikes that’s been a thing pounding all season with (Dave Bush), (Kevin Walker), (Jason Varitek).  Attack the hitters, it’s easier to attack the hitters when it’s 0-1 as opposed to 1-0.”More from Chowder and Champions3 Midseason Chaim Bloom Decisions That Have Killed the 2023 Red Sox10 Patriots Who Will Be Cut by Tuesday’s Roster DeadlineMLB Screws Red Sox Fans With Broadcast for Mookie Betts Return3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 SeasonRed Sox Continue Rollercoaster Season With Massive Win"

With his curveball more effective along with the consistency of his cutter, Eovaldi is a tougher pitcher to face, especially with runners on base because he has more than just a blazing fastball to get batters out, he can keep lineups off-balance with the off-speed stuff which he showed on Friday night.

Boston Red Sox showing resiliency in the 2021 MLB season

Just when you thought the Red Sox were on the verge of taking a dip into the other direction this season, they bounce back with two impressive victories over the Houston Astros and Yankees.

Along with Nathan Eovaldi, they continue to get solid pitching performances out of Martin Perez (who pitched the game of his life against the Astros Thursday afternoon), Nick Pivetta and Garrett Richards.

With Eduardo Rodriguez searching to find his grove again, the Red Sox starters have been showing they can keep the team in games, even when the offense isn’t completely clicking.

As long as they stay healthy, particularly Rodriguez and Eovaldi, that consistency will be a major reason why the 2021 Boston Red Sox compete for a playoff spot if not the AL East crown.

Oh, and there’s also a thing called hard work, which Eovaldi has been displaying all season long.

"“He goes about it the right way,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said, via MLB.com.  “It doesn’t matter the result.  His process is up there with the best of them.  He works his tail off in his studies.  He talks to Christian [Vazquez] and with Kevin [Plawecki].  He does a good job with Jason [Varitek] and [pitching coach Dave Bush] and [bullpen coach Kevin Walker], and his preparation is amazing.  Sometimes the results are not there, but the effort and the preparation, they’re always there.  You can see the results.”"

Those results have revealed a pitcher who have finally put it all together and has become the front-line pitcher the Boston Red Sox paid him to be.

Keep it rolling Nathan Eovaldi!