There have been a 2 or 3 decently pitched games that have kept it “down”. ERod’s 5 shutout innings the other day for example. I think Houck had a good one in Tampa(?).
Lester’s ERA went from 2.93 to 3.47 his last 4 starts; he allowed 18 runs in 19 2/3 innings.
Beckett missed a turn in early September and his ERA went from 2.49 to 2.89 by allowing 15 runs in 18 1/3 innings in his last 3 games (and from 2.50 to 2.89 over the last 2 starts).
They had good seasons but sucked when it counted most.
You have to remember the real purpose of the minor leagues is not to win but to develop players for the major league team; winning is a by-product.
To that end, minor league managers are often told who they will play and how much.
So perhaps the organization wants that kid pitcher to develop another pitch. That may be the reason he was sent out there long enough to allow 7 runs.
One of my favorite things to do when I go to my local minor league team’s games (it’s a low A league, currently they are a Royals affiliate but were an Astros one for many years) is to try and pick out the 1 or 2 players on each team that might make the majors. That’s really all there are on each team at that level. Obviously the numbers go up as you climb higher.
He’s been better at home, but he’s been good both at home and on the road (2.50 ERA at home, 3.25 on the road, opponents Batting Average .232 at home and .227 on the road).
He stays healthy he’s going to be a really good pitcher for a long time.
Cora is playing him way too much. This is the Red Sox 109th game. It is the 95th game Vazquez has appeared in, the 92nd game he’s caught in and the 85th game he has started at catcher.
Lee would have driven several posters here crazy since he always gave up a ton of hits.
OTOH, with his stuff, he wouldn’t have been given the time of day by scouts after finishing college ball.
So can ERod go 5?
I was just reading some stuff about Bill Lee, the old Sox left hander. A few years ago, he pitched a 9 inning complete game for an independent league team in California. He was almost 66 years old at the time.
It’s not the Sox system, it’s the overall mindset of baseball today starting in Little League.
Devers is a special talent, but even he is pushing 100 Ks on the year.