On April 22nd of this year, the Boston Red Sox rode an impressive 17-2 record into Oakland to take on the Athletics in the first of a three-game series. The Red Sox were coming off a decisive and convincing series sweep of the Angels, who began their home stint 13-3 and ranked as the second-best team in baseball according to ESPN. Then, the sky suddenly fell out for Red Sox Nation, and Sean freaking Menea took his career 3.81 ERA to the bump and proceeded to throw a no-hitter.
I hit the panic button--I’m man enough to admit it. Coming out of that disastrous weekend for the Red Sox (during which they lost to a putrid A’s team twice), I called into question the mental toughness of the team and worried how they would respond in the face of adversity. I’m happy to say that I was partially wrong, as the Red Sox have not completely imploded in on themselves quite yet. I still think tonight’s game against the Athletics--and more importantly Sean Menea--was important for them. I don’t want to overstate it; it isn’t the World Series and it’s ultimately just one of 162, but these Red Sox players have a spotty history of lacking mental toughness that could be dangerous should it continue late into 2018.
I think it’s safe to say that the Red Sox cleared the Sean Menea hurdle tonight, even in a 6-5 loss at Fenway Park. The game itself wasn’t overly interesting; the Red Sox and Athletics grinded back and forth, trading runs until eventually time ran out on the Red Sox, and the A’s were able to close the game out with little trouble in the bottom of the 9th. Regardless, seeing the way the Red Sox pieced together at-bats against Menea was extremely encouraging. After being dominated the way that they were, it would’ve been easy for the Red Sox to pack it in and accept a loss the next time they faced the pitcher that had previously embarrassed them. Instead, they tagged him for four runs on eight hits and only struck out four times against the lefty.
One area of concern coming out of the game, however, has to be Rick Porcello. Porcello has been off to a really good start, as he came into tonight boasting a 2.79 ERA and a 5-0 record. Unfortunately, I think these stats are unsustainable, and tonight reaffirmed this belief. Through his first eight starts of the season, Slick Rick allowed just two home runs and 41 hits in his 51 innings pitched. If you expect numbers like that to continue for Porcello, you’re crazy. The guy has the most hittable sinker in the history of Major League Baseball. If you are a pink-hat Red Sox fan and need some evidence of this, consider that Rick Porcello gave up an MLB-high 236 hits and 38 home runs last season. Now, these numbers may not accurately represent Porcello’s skill level, but he certainly isn’t a Cy-Younger like he was in 2016 or a dominant No. 2 like he’s shown through his first eight starts of this season.
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