Clay, Clay, Clay

[NWPATSFAN]

I'm a lot more worried about the bullpen than the rotation. #5 spot in the rotation is still kinda iffy (but most #5 starters are), but I think #1-4 are actually pretty good.

Wright will probably see a little more regression. How much is hard to say, given the nature of knuckleballers. But unlike most, Wright's done a very good job suppressing home runs and he has one of the highest softest contact rates among MLB starters, to go along with respectable K/BB numbers. Whether that soft contact is a repeatable skill remains to be seen. He has a very solid FIP at 3.54, but his SIERA and xFIP are more than a full run higher than his ERA. He's also 11th in the AL in innings pitched and has thrown three complete games (could have been four).

Price has been a general disappointment this year, but there's still plenty of reason to be optimistic going forward for this year. His .338 BABIP allowed is well out of line with his career norms (.291), though some of that could probably be attributed to Fenway. His HR/FB rate (13.6%) is also much higher than his career average (9.3%), so hopefully those are due for some positive regression. Price's K/BB rates are still in line with recent years (9.46 K/9, 1.94 BB/9), and he's in the top 3 in the AL in FIP/xFIP/SIERA. At the very least, Price has been pitching deep into games, as he currently leads the AL in innings pitched.

The first year of Porcello's extension has gone about as well as we could hope for. He's currently sporting a 3.47 ERA with very solid peripherals. But more importantly, he's gone 5+ innings in every start he's made, and he's only allowed 5 runs in three starts. He's pretty much given the Sox a chance in every start.

It'll be interesting to see if Pomeranz can repeat his excellent 1st half. But even if he's just league average from here on out, he'd still represent a huge upgrade over what they've gotten from Buchholz/Kelly/etc. Pomeranz does need to prove he can handle a full season as a starter, but as long as he can stay healthy, I think he's certainly capable of being more than league average, especially given his pedigree as a prospect and his elite strikeout rate (10.22 K/9). Not to mention he's developed a third quality pitch.

Eduardo Rodriguez has shown some progress as of late. At least now there should (hopefully) be less pressure on him with the acquisition of Pomeranz.

I'm with you 1-4 theyare ok. These relievers are killing the Sox. If not by getting injured then giving up games. It's happening again. What's with the Sox inability to get runners home lately