C4 Sports The Boston Globe WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 2019
Porcello may be on right track
By Alex Speier
GLOBE STAFF
It seems like the most basic
thing in baseball: Throwing a
baseball in a familiar rhythm.
Yet for a big
league starting
pitcher, it is an
undertaking
that requires extraordinary cal-
ibration, in which a single peb-
ble can get caught in some
gears and cause the entire ma-
chinery of a pitcher’s delivery
to break down completely.
That,RickPorcellobelieves,
has been the challenge of his
2019 season. In 21 starts, he is
9-7 with a 5.55 ERA, his strike-
out rate plummeting to 7.1 per
nine innings. More alarming,
in five starts from June 23
through July 20, he had a 10.57
ERA while allowing six homers
and striking out just 13 in 23
innings.
In several of those starts,
Porcello’s velocity was down
well below career norms, bot-
toming out on July 20 against
the Orioles, when he averaged
just 89.7 m.p.h. on his four-
seamer, his lowest velocity in
the Statcast era.
Yet the 30-year-old said that
his arm has felt fantastic when
he’s played catch on flat
ground. As such, when he’s fea-
tured substandard stuff — the
product, he believes, of small
mechanical misalignments — it
has been cause for disagree-
ment with the pitching gods.
“I can’t tell you how frus-
trating it is,” said Porcello. “But
that’s pitching. There’s always
maintenance to be had. There’s
alwaysadjustmentstomake.
There’s things you have to stay
on top of. If it was easy, you’d
see a lot of guys being able to
do it year after year. It’s not
easy.”
Porcello felt that his hands
had gotten out of synch with
his lower body. With his hands
breaking later that usual, his
arm had been dragging behind
his lower body in his delivery.
“My hands have been kind
of getting stuck, and they’re
not throwing through my deliv-
ery with my legs,” said Porcello.
“It’s forcing my arm to be late
when my foot lands, and I’m
underneath the ball a lot.”
Even a diagnosed problem
can be hard to fix — particular-
ly if a player is lost in thought
about each movement of his
delivery rather than focusing
on the execution of the pitch it-
self. And so, in a bullpen ses-
sion last week at Tropicana
Field, Porcello tried to find a
way forward.
Instead of getting lost in a
paint-by-numbers approach to
his delivery, he concluded his
bullpen session by crow-hop-
ping down the mound and
winging the ball to the catcher.
Instead of being “robotic,” he
wanted his delivery to feel
powerful and athletic.
Against the Yankees last
week, he felt improvement —
particularly after surviving his
47-pitch second inning. He al-
lowed just one run in his last
four innings, and showed im-
proved life and stuff, with a
four-seamer that averaged 91.1
m.p.h. He viewed the outing asa promising building block for
his next one against the Rays
onWednesday.
“There were times when I
was still getting stuck a little
bit, but it was much improved.
It was definitely something I
felt. I had some results with it.
I know I’m on the right track
with this,” he said. “Now it’s
continuing to hammer down
that muscle memory so that
when you are in competition,
it’s happening naturally. It
wasn’t quite where I want to
be, but it was definitely an im-
provement.”
HomegrowntalentOver the weekend, during
two of the Red Sox-Yankees
games, it was possible to turn
to any position on the field and
see a player whom the Red Sox
had either scouted or signed
between 2008 and 2015. The
significance of seeing eight
homegrown position players
on the field at once — an infield
ofRafaelDevers,XanderBo-
gaerts,MichaelChavis, and
SamTravis; an outfield ofAn-
drewBenintendi,JackieBrad-leyJr., andMookieBetts; and
ChristianVazquezbehind the
plate — in a key series against
the Yankees in the pennant
race wasn’t lost on members of
the organization.
“We always take a lot of
pride in trying to get home-
grown players up to Fenway. To
have that amount of good play-
ers in the lineup at one time,
it’s great,” said vice president of
amateur scoutingMikeRikard.
“It’s a culmination of a lot of
work by a lot of people. I al-
ways like to kind of look back
on the great stories and the
great efforts by the area scouts
who made the decisions,
whether it was [Puerto Rico ar-
ea scout]EdgarPerezwith
Christian Vazquez or [area
scout]DannyWatkinswith
Mookie Betts. Those types of
decisions make a huge differ-
ence. It’s not always in two or
three years. It takes a while.
For me, it’s a culmination of a
lot of years and a lot of work
that helps to put something
like that in place.”Likelynod
LefthanderBrianJohnson,
still on a rehab assignment
with Triple A Pawtucket,
logged one inning while allow-
ing one run on a walk and a
single. He struck out a batter
and threw half of his 16 pitches
for strikes. He’s likely to start a
game in New York on Saturday,
when the Red Sox play the Yan-
kees in a doubleheader. Manag-
erAlexCorasaid that he be-
lieves Johnson can contribute
four or five innings.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox had
yet to sit down withChrisSale
to discuss his struggle against
the Yankees on Sunday. Cora
said that he was less concerned
about the pitcher’s velocity —
which mostly sat in the low-
90s, but topped out at 96-98
m.p.h. on Sunday — than about
the effectiveness of his slider
(whichDidiGregoriushit for a
homer) and changeup (crushed
byAustinRominefor a homer).
“Last year a lot of people
were talking about why [he
was throwing] 99 miles per
hour every pitch, it’s going to
cost him in August. Now peo-
ple are talking about why [he’s]
not 97 miles per hour every
pitch when he’s getting hit,”
said Cora. “It’s one of those that
everybody has a different view,
but I do feel that he can pitch
at whatever velocity he wants
to. It’s just the secondary pitch-
es.
“Sunday wasn’t great. We
expect him to go out in the next
one and be great again.”Kiermaierready
Rays centerfielderKevin
Kiermaier(left thumb sprain)
is likely to be activated for
Wednesday’s game... The
Rays are expected to recall
rookie lefthanderBrendan
McKay(1-1, 3.72 ERA in four
starts) to the big leagues to
start against the Sox on Thurs-
day... The Red Sox recognized
210 recipients of Red Sox Ser-
vice Scholarships on the field
prior to Tuesday’s game. The
program awards public high
school graduates from the New
England states outside of Mas-
sachusetts with $1,000 scholar-
ships toward their college edu-
cations in recognition of dem-
onstrated community service,
academic performance, and fi-
nancial aid eligibility.Alex Speier can be reached at
[email protected]. Follow
him on Twitter at @alexspeier.RED SOX
NOTEBOOK
JIM DAVIS/GLOBE STAFF
Mitch Moreland prepares to apply the tag on the Rays’ Matt Duffy, who led off Tuesday’s
game with a walk but got caught straying too far off first by catcher Christian Vazquez.JIM DAVIS/GLOBE STAFF
It’s the end of the night for Red Sox starter David Price,
who lasted just 4‚ innings, surrendering four runs.Price,Soxunableto
finishoffTampa
nings), has not pitched into the
seventh inning since June 2
against the Yankees.
“Outs are tough to get. It’s
been tough just throwing
strikes,” he said. “I’ve got some
stuff to address before I take
the next four days before I pitch
in New York. It’s going to get
better.”
Following Price’s departure,
Andrew Benintendi’s two-run
homer gave Boston a 5-4 lead,
but the bullpen handed the
game back to Tampa Bay (61-
48), who left the ballpark hold-
ing the second wild-card spot.
Boston (59-49) was 1½ games
back.
President of baseball opera-
tionsDaveDombrowskiislike-
ly to augment the bullpen be-
fore 4 p.m. Wednesday. His last
look was at a collection of sixuREDSOX
Continued from Page C1arms that coughed up a pair of
one-run leads, and struggled
with location over 4„ innings.
The first of the arms in re-
lief, Marcus Walden, allowed
an RBI ground out to make it
4-3. After Benintendi’s blast,
the Red Sox trailed, 6-5, when
Garcia’s two-run, wall-scraper
double off Colton Brewer to put
the visitors ahead for good.
That knock made a loser of
Josh Taylor (0-1), who allowed
a single to his only batter and
was charged with an earned
run. Before that, the Red Sox
had blown one save in the
month of July, tied for the few-
est in the AL, but those in the
clubhouse were anticipating a
move.
“We haven’t put our best
foot forward yet,” Price said.
“That’s a good sign considering
where we are in the standings
right now. I look forward to
seeing what happens tomor-
row. I think everybody else
does, too.”
The Red Sox offense needs
no upgrades, but Tuesday it
went 3 for 15 with runners in
scoring position, left the bases
loaded in the eighth and with
runners on the corners in the
ninth.
“They made some good
pitches in big spots, especially
in the eighth inning,” Beninten-
di said of the Rays. “They have
some unique arms. A lot of
them have high spin-rate fast-
balls or just power arms. It can
be a grind against them to
square something up.”
Emilio Pagan jammed red-
hot Rafael Devers with the bas-
es loaded and two outs in the
eighth, and picked up his
eighth save by retiring Chris-
tian Vazquez to end the game,
after Benintendi reached on a
two-out bloop and Sam Travis
singled him to third.
In the second of this three-
game set, Tampa Bay will see
Rick Porcello at 7:10 p.m.
Wednesday.
Benintendi, hammering
lefties of late, had made it 5-4
in the fifth when he sent the
first pitch from Rays reliever
Adam Kolarek over the left-
field wall in the fifth. Kolarek
supplanted starter Charlie
Morton, who allowed four
earned runs in 4„ innings.
The Red Sox put together
several good at-bats against a
pitcher, Morton, who owned
them last Wednesday at Tropi-
cana Field. That afternoon,
Morton struck out 11 in seven
innings, allowing five hits and
two runs with Cy Young stuff.
While Price submitted will-
ingly Tuesday, Morton initially
pulled back the ball from Cash
when the manager reached the
mound and extended his hand.
He was seemingly surprised to
be asked out so soon, after sev-
en hits, four earned runs, two
walks and two strikeouts.
Price, on the other hand,
submitted willingly. His next
start will be better, he believes.Follow Matt Porter on Twitter
at @mattyportsAt Fenway Park, Boston
TAMPA BAY AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Duffy 3b-ss 4 1 2 0 1 1 .320
d’Arnaud1b 422112 .277
Meadows lfGarcíarf 451231211203 .290.2 75
Brosseau 2b-3b 4 1 1 0 1 1 .289
NaLowedh 502001 .306
Adamesss 200001 .235
a-Sogard ph-2bHerediacf 250100000111 .298.239
Zuninoc 400003 .165
Totals 39 6 12 6 5 15
BOSTON AB RHBIBBSOAvg.
Betts rfDevers 3b 4 1 1 0 1 1 .2845 2 3 0 0 0 .332
Bogaerts ss 5 0 1 0 0 0 .315
Martinez dh 4 1 1 0 1 2 .293
Benintendilf 413311 .285Moreland1bb-Travis ph-1b (^301200) 2 0 2 0 0 0 .268.230
Vázquez c 5 01001 .282
Holt 2b 3 0 0 0 1 0 .324
BradleyJr.cf 400001Totals 39513546 .229
Tampa Bay.......................001 032 000 — 6 12 0
Bostona-grounded out for Adames in 5th, b-doubled...............................201 020 000 — 5 13 1
for Moreland in 8th.E—Devers (17).LOB—Tampa
Bay 11, Boston 11.2B—Duffy (3), García (17),
NaLowe (7), Devers (37), Travis (3), Vázquez (15).3B—Meadows (7).HR—d’Arnaud (13), off Price,
García (14), off Price, Benintendi (11), off Kolarek.
Runners left in scoring position—Tampa Bay 6
(Duffy 2, García 2, Brosseau, Heredia), Boston 7
(Betts, Devers 2, Benintendi, Moreland, Vázquez2).RISP—Tampa Bay 3 for 12, Boston 3 for 15.
Runners moved up—Sogard.GIDP—Moreland.
DP—Tampa Bay 1 (d’Arnaud, Adames, d’Arnaud).
Tampa Bay IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Morton 4„ 7 4 4 2 2 85 2.78
Kolarek W 4-3 1‚ 11100163.95
Castillo „ 1 0 0 1 1 15 3.73
PocheRoe ‚00001 46.39‚10001104.36
Drake ‚ 0 0 0 1 0 9 4.32
PagánS8 1‚30001302.05
Boston IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
PriceWalden 4‚1‚ 0 1 1 1 0 17 3.7194429943.86
Taylor L 0-1 0 1 1 1 0 0 3 4.01
Brewer BS 1 ‚ 1 0 0 0 0 10 4.40
HernandezEovaldi (^10000212) 1 1 0 0 1 3 25 6.932.38
Barnes 100011164.01
runners-scoredTaylor pitched to 1 batter in the 6th.—Kolarek 1-1, Poche 2-0, DrakeInherited
1-0, Pagán 2-0, Walden 2-1, Taylor 1-0, Brewer
2-2.Umpires—Home, Tim Timmons; First, Sean
Barber; Second, Mike Winters; Third, Rob Drake.T—4:05.A—36,412 (37,755).
HOW THE RUNS SCORED
FIRST INNING
third baseman Duffy. Bogaerts popped out toRED SOX — Betts walked. Devers popped out to
shortstop Adames. Martinez singled to center,
Betts to third. Benintendi walked on four pitches,
Martinez to second. Moreland singled to right,
Betts scored, Martinez scored, Benintendi tothird. Vázquez flied out to center fielder Heredia.
THIRD INNING
RAYS — Zunino struck out. Duffy doubled to
left. d’Arnaud struck out. Meadows tripled to
right, Duffy scored. A.García struck out.RED SOX — Devers singled to center. Bogaerts
singled to right, Devers to third. Martinez struck
out. Benintendi singled to right, Devers scored,
Bogaerts to third. Moreland grounded into a dou-ble play, first baseman d’Arnaud to shortstop
Adames to first baseman d’Arnaud, Benintendi
out.
FIFTH INNING
pitch. Meadows struck out. A.García homered toRAYS — d’Arnaud homered to left on the first
center on the first pitch. Brosseau singled to cen-
ter. Lowe doubled to center, Brosseau to third.
Walden pitching. Sogard pinch-hitting for
Adames. Sogard grounded out, second basemanHolt to first baseman Moreland, Brosseau scored,
Lowe to third. Heredia flied out to right fielder
Betts.
as third baseman. Sogard in as second baseman.RED SOX — Duffy in as shortstop. Brosseau in
Devers singled to center. Bogaerts popped out to
second baseman Sogard. Martinez lined out to
center fielder Heredia. Kolarek pitching. Benin-
tendi homered to left on the first pitch, Deversscored. Moreland grounded out, first baseman
d’Arnaud unassisted.
SIXTH INNING
man Holt to first baseman Moreland. DuffyRAYS — Zunino grounded out, second base-
grounded out, first baseman Moreland unassist-
ed. d’Arnaud walked. Taylor pitching. Meadows
singled to right, d’Arnaud to second. Brewer
pitching. A.García doubled to left, d’Arnaudscored, Meadows scored. Brosseau popped out
to shortstop Bogaerts.
Rays 6, Red Sox 5
JIM DAVIS/GLOBE STAFF
Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers couldn’t come up
with the throw to force Michael Brosseau at second base.
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