OAKLAND — Drew Pomeranz's short outing appeared to lead to some unhappiness with manager John Farrell Saturday afternoon against the A's.
The lefty Pomeranz allowed just two runs, one earned, in four innings, but his day stopped there because of his inefficiency. He was pulled after 97 pitches, and Ben Taylor entered for the top of the fifth of what eventually became an 8-3 Red Sox' loss.
The NESN telecast captured an animated exchange between Pomeranz and Farrell before the pitcher exited stage right toward the Red Sox clubhouse. Here it is via @BoSoxInjection on Twitter:
Relievers Taylor and Noe Ramirez allowed five runs, including three home runs, in the fifth as a 3-2 lead quickly became a 7-3 deficit.
"He didn't want to come out the game. That was the discussion we had and it's been settled," Farrell told reporters about the dugout exchange after the game. "He's got to find a way to get more efficient, bottom line."
Pomeranz (3-3, 4.97 ERA) left his previous start May 14 against the Tampa Bay Ray after three innings with triceps tendinitis.
Boston Red Sox
"I wasn't out there as long," Pomeranz told reporters after the game. "I don't like coming out of games that early. I gotta do a better job of being more efficient...It's frustrating. As a starting pitcher, you want to be out there as long as you can. Despite it only being four innings, I felt it was a step in the right direction for me.
"I threw a lot of pitches. I'd like to stay out there but sometimes it's not up to me." Pomeranz said, he shrugged and added, "there's not much more I can say."
Pomeranz has had trouble pitching deep into games for all of his Red Sox career. He explained on the CSNNE Baseball Show podcast how much that weighs on him — and it may explain his frustration.
"You never want to come out of games," Pomeranz said Wednesday. "It's the worst feeling in the world when you get taken out of the game you're like, crap, I probably could have stayed in. It's tough. I don't like to put the bullpen in that situation. I know it's like to be down there and have a guy — oh [expletive], I'm going in the game. I got to get up, come to the mound, get warm.
"I hate to put those guys in that position. That's part of what drives me to want to be in the games longer, to give them more rest down there. You hate to come out of games early like that."
In general, the starters have felt bad for the workload left to the relievers.
"I can't stress enough how well the guys in our bullpen have been throwing," Chris Sale said after eight innings on Friday night. "Heck, they've been out there a lot. You guys know, everybody knows, they've been throwing a lot."
Pomeranz has been searching for his mechanics and felt good about his bullpen session Wednesday. He felt his arm path had gotten too long. Part of the reason he hasn't bee using his cutter is due to his mechanics, rendering him a two-pitch pitcher at times.
"It’s been tough to be consistent with it because I was so wrapped around," Pomeranz said on the Baseball Show podcast. "When you start wrapping like that, it’ll break big off for a ball or back up. Like, I gave up a home run to [Manny] Machado on one that just backed up over the plate. That’s not what you want to do, especially with that pitch. That’s the pitch I use to get people off my fastball.
"They’re geared up for a fastball and there’s a cookie coming right down the middle, I’m going to hit that ball out."
Pomeranz said he wasn't sure if hitters have been sitting on his curveball, but that when his curveball's on, it's hard to hit even if they are.