Ron Roenicke talks about the Red Sox’ thought process after the Miami Marlins had 10 personnel test positive for Covid-19.
It's time for the Red Sox to do something dramatic before their pitching staff causes a mutiny, so how about opening with a closer?
Five games into a rapidly disappearing season, Brandon Workman finally threw his first pitch on Tuesday night, tossing a scoreless ninth in a blowout loss to the Mets. Primary setup man Matt Barnes has made one appearance. Same goes for seventh inning guy Marcus Walden. Veteran Heath Hembree has faced five batters.
In their place, the dregs of a no-name staff have tossed most of the relevant innings. Austin Brice, Matt Hall, Josh Osich, Martin Perez, Ryan Weber, Ryan Brasier, and Jeffrey Springs have combined to allow 27 runs in 20.1 innings. That's an ERA of 11.95 in nearly half of the team's 45 innings pitched.
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Meanwhile, Workman rots, awaiting save opportunities that remain the stuff of fantasy. Simultaneously, the offense sounds beaten by the reality of needing to score, "eight, nine, 10 runs a night," as shortstop Xander Bogaerts noted. That's hardly an excuse for how poorly the position players have performed at the plate, in the field, and on the bases, but it would be nice if the offense believed it had a chance before the first pitch.
Instead, the Red Sox have fallen behind in four straight games, all defeats, including Tuesday's 8-3 loss to the Mets. They've allowed at least seven runs in each game and haven't led since their 13-2 win over the Orioles on opening night. It's their worst stretch of losses since 2006.
Part of the problem is bad starters (Perez, Weber) and part is bad openers (Osich, Hall). Workman can't solve the first problem, but he might be able to help address the second, even if it's just a one-off to demonstrate some urgency.
Using an opener is about maximizing imperfect resources. Most pitchers struggle the second and especially third time through an order, which is why openers only turn over a lineup once or twice.
There's little point in using one, however, if he's just going to put his team in a multi-run hole, as Osich and Hall did vs. the Mets. Osich served up a two-run homer to Michael Conforto on Monday, while Hall watched the Mets put up three runs in the second inning on Tuesday.
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They're not alone, though. Springs followed Osich on Monday and allowed five runs, including a mammoth home run to Pete Alonso. Brice relieved Hall on Tuesday and promptly surrendered a two-run bomb to J.D. Davis. Brasier made his season debut in the eighth and watched three runs score.
If the Red Sox are going to fall hopelessly behind on a nightly basis and never require the services of Workman, Barnes, and Walden, why not open the game with them? Pick a contest and treat it like extra innings -- throw your best pitchers until there's no game left. Don't save anyone for the late innings, because so far they haven't mattered.
There'd be some obstacles, of course. Workman is entering free agency and would probably like to see a few saves next to his name. He might balk at the prospect of starting, since a scoreless first inning won't do much for his resume.
Then again, Rays closer Sergio Romo saved 25 games while also making the first five starts of his career in 2018, when Tampa unveiled the opener. And even if his big-money days are behind him, the 37-year-old still earned a one-year, $5 million deal with the Twins this season.
The other problem is robbing Peter to pay Paul. A game that starts with Workman, Barnes and Walden can't end with them, which leaves the Red Sox in the position of turning to the same guys who haven't started games very effectively.
But a couple of other pitchers have delivered more promising results. Recent pickup Zack Godley threw four scoreless innings with seven strikeouts in his Red Sox debut, and Colten Brewer delivered his third straight scoreless outing on Tuesday. Godley will undoubtedly get a look as an opener himself, but the Red Sox right now need two.
Enter Workman? Worrying about the eighth and ninth is a luxury for a team that has generally been finished by the second. Barring the return of Eduardo Rodriguez or the acquisition of a proven starter, Roenicke needs to get creative.
So the next time the schedule calls for an opener, he should turn to his closer. Play the game in reverse, with Workman handing to Barnes handing to Walden handing to Hembree. The eighth and ninth might be a heart attack, but it beats knowing the game is over before it starts.