Over the offseason, there were a lot of decisions that were made by Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow that opened some eyes. You could make the case that some of the decisions were reactionary.
That isn’t always good for a front office leader. The Red Sox were one of the last teams to sign a free agent. It was another offseason where they were in on a lot of free agents, but fell short in signing them. Pete Alonso signed with the Baltimore Orioles, and Michael King re-signed with the San Diego Padres.
Breslow appeared to put a lot of eggs in the basket that third baseman Alex Bregman was going to return. He didn’t and signed with the Chicago Cubs. That was a big blow. However, Breslow’s pivot was an odd one. Instead of going after a replacement for Bregman, he signed left-handed pitcher Ranger Suárez from the Philadelphia Phillies.
Pitching was a focus this offseason as Breslow also acquired right-hander Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals. Gray and Suárez have been good, and ahead of a three-game series against the Orioles at Fenway Park, Suárez didn’t beat around the bush about the starting staff.
Boston Red Sox Pitcher Ranger Suárez Praises Starting Rotation
Boston enters their series with Baltimore two games behind the Orioles for last place in the American League East. However, given the spot the Red Sox are in, it isn’t all on the pitching staff. Suárez didn’t beat around the bush on that, especially with youngsters Payton Tolle and Connelly Early.
“We’re just a talented group,” said Suárez. “Everyone knows how to pitch here. You have Tolle and Early, who are young, but they don’t seem young. They’ve really helped us to be where we’re at now, and they’re really good pitchers.”
Suárez is right, Tolle and Early have been a huge piece of the rotation. Early broke spring training as the No. 5 starter while Tolle began in Triple-A with the Worcester Red Sox. However, injuries have slowly mounted, which has allowed Tolle to become a key part of the rotation. Both left-handers are rising young arms who should be in the majors for a while.
Numbers Back Up Rangers Suárez Comment
After Monday night’s games across MLB, Boston has the ninth-best team ERA at 3.82. Garrett Crochet is currently injured, and his return isn’t set in stone. It’s only the first week in June, but it’s clear that Tolle and Early have helped to anchor a Boston rotation have a Top 10 ERA.
As for Boston’s struggles? The offense doesn’t produce enough at times, and they are just 9-19 at home. However, if they are going to turn things around, they are facing a stretch where they can make up some ground in the standings.
After hosting the Orioles for three games, they hit the road for games against the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. After a series at home with the Texas Rangers, they’ll host the Toronto Blue Jays. They’ll play all four divisional foes in the next couple of weeks.
If Boston is going to get back into the AL wild-card race or the AL East Division race, it will need their pitching to continue to throw well. It’ll be the kids that have to lead the way.
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