Do Red Sox need a closer? Rough ninth inning stats make compelling case

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Dave Dombrowski's gamble that the Red Sox could succeed with a closer-by-committee doesn't appear to be paying off.

Boston's bullpen has already recorded 10 blown saves — four fewer than the league-leading New York Mets — and as NBC Sports Boston's John Tomase eloquently put it, every ninth inning "feels like a nightly dance with a chainsaw." Last year, even when it seemed like Craig Kimbrel went through shaky stretches, Boston blew a total of 20 saves.

Matt Barnes coughed up the latest Red Sox lead in the ninth inning Monday night against the Texas Rangers, and Ryan Brasier allowed Elvis Andrus to drive home the eventual game-winning run in the 11th. Brasier and Barnes have combined for seven of the team's 10 blown saves.

What's most striking is the disparity between how the bullpen performs in the middle innings compared to the ninth. Boston's core relievers -- Brasier, Matt Barnes, Brandon Workman and Marcus Walden -- have posted elite numbers in innings six through eight, but have completely collapsed in the ninth.

According to Barstool Sports' Jared Carrabis, the four relievers' combined ERA nearly doubles in the ninth inning. 

Manager Alex Cora has deflected accusations that the bullpen is too thin. In late May, Cora told WEEI "it doesn't feel (like we're an arm short) in the dugout or the clubhouse...We mix and match and we have guys that we trust. There are a few guys that have to step up." 

Overall, Boston's bullpen hasn't been bad, posting the tenth-best ERA in the majors (4.12). It has held opponents to a .230 batting average, fifth-lowest in baseball. 

But in the ninth inning, Boston's ERA balloons to 6.12 (28th in MLB), per Carrabis. It's clear that the mix-and-match approach for the ninth inning isn't working for Boston, and it has cost the Red Sox valuable ground in the AL East race.

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