Three things we learned from the Red Sox’ 8-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles:
1) David Price can still beat playoff-caliber teams
Price has faced Toronto, San Francisco, Texas, New York and Baltimore (twice) since June.
Tuesday night was the first time he’d beaten any of those playoff-contending teams in his past 15 starts.
And he didn’t with a bit of an edge, too, working in on the Orioles’ home run hitters, not allowing them to get their hands extended.
“He made some quality pitches throughout the innings,” Jackie Bradley Jr. said. “He gave us the chance to win and that’s all that we can ask for.”
With the rain delay looming, Price was fairly efficient, throwing 84 pitches through six innings.
Price seemed please with his performance -- very rare for him, even in good starts.
Boston Red Sox
Additionally, he put the fate of the Red Sox’ season on his back along with the other starting pitchers.
“It’s all on the starting pitching,” Price said after the rain-shortened, 8-1 win. "We’ll go as far as the starters take us. We’ve thrown the ball well as a group over I don’t know how long, but we’ve thrown baseball a lot better.”
If the starting rotation keeps pitching like it has of late -- and Price is correct -- then the Red Sox are well on their way to the postseason.
2) The Red Sox have a sense of urgency.
The game on Thursday afternoon is going to be a tough one for Boston.
An afternoon game in Detroit after a nightcap in Baltimore. Borderline cruel and unusual punishment.
But one of John Farrell’s postgame comments displayed that the Sox understood what was in store for them Wednesday.
“We kind of had a target on the time where it could get in jeopardy [and] it did,” Farrell said after the six-inning win. “Thankfully we were able to score early.”
That planning and awareness for detail is huge with this team.
They’ve shown their talent is right there with everyone and constantly express how they adjust.
But this almost sounded like a game plan for Boston to destroy Baltimore.
Taking that approach can do wonders for the clubhouse.
3) Pitching is still Baltimore's big problem
Scratching Chris Tillman because of “shoulder discomfort” can become a big issue.
Losing your top pitcher against Price, the Red Sox pitcher with the most upside, is never good.
And Baltimore has to be careful with it, given that you can’t throw a ball without functioning shoulder.
Then came Dylan Bundy.
The righty has promise and threw his impressive 12-6 curveball, but got into trouble often. Largely because of poor fastball command and the inability to use his change-up effectively.
After him, the rotation goes downhill quickly.
That’s perfect for Boston, given their starting pitching is figuring things out. It should also make the Orioles an easier team to beat than the Sox and Jays down the line.
Also, the Orioles are a free-swinging club without discipline. They can cause a lot of damage, but seem to live and die on the long ball.
With the absence of good starting pitching, your bullpen can fatigue and develop big-time health issues.
Boston knows that all too well.