Boston Red Sox starting rotation is letting team down

Things haven’t been that great on the mound for the Boston Red Sox. What might have been viewed as a disappointing anomaly has now become a worrisome trend. Boston’s starters aren’t getting the job done.

The latest example came on Saturday when Boston was defeated by the Toronto Blue Jays 7-2. As the scoreline indicates, it wasn’t a fun day on the mound for the Red Sox.

Nick Pivetta got the start against Toronto and pitched five innings and was able to strike out six batters. The problem for the righty was that he gave up six earned runs including four in the top of the fifth.

Now Pivetta only gave up six hits, but the problem was that he gave up four home runs. All in all, it was a disappointing start for him.

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That type of performance isn’t going to get the job done. Especially when Boston is only able to secure five hits. There are going to be nights when the Red Sox’s bats struggle, so that’s why it’s important to have a capable starting rotation.

The Boston Red Sox need their starting rotation to step up

To Pivetta’s credit, he isn’t the only starter in Boston who is struggling. It seems as though every starter isn’t doing their best when they step onto the mound.

In the last 8 games, Red Sox starters have an ERA of 8.36. It’s hard to win games when you are giving up that many runs.

There seems to be one area where Boston’s starters seem to struggle the most. Opposing teams seem to be able to jump on the Red Sox right from the first pitch.

In 65 games this season, Boston has a first-inning ERA of 5.26. Again if you are giving up runs early it’s hard to bounce back. Opponents have all the momentum and the Red Sox are forced to start the game fighting an uphill battle.

Luckily for Boston, there is some good news. Chris Sale seems to be nearing a return and that would be a big boost to the team.

There is no doubt that when he is healthy, Sale is Boston’s ace. Getting him back will be like acquiring a star at the trade deadline. The Red Sox were battling for first place without Sale, imagine what they can do when he returns.

Also, the return of Sale should help Eduardo Rodriguez. E-Rod has struggled recently and the potential return of Sale will take some pressure off of him. When Sale returns there won’t be as much pressure on Rodriguez and he can focus on just playing his style of baseball.

So the Boston Red Sox have a starting pitching problem. With them being only two games out of first place, hopefully they figure things out sooner rather than later. If they don’t they could start to slip down the AL East standings.