Through 36 games of the 2020 season, the Red Sox have used as many pitchers as they have losses: 24.
Sure, two of those 24 pitchers were position players (Kevin Plawecki and Jose Peraza), but 11 different players have started at least one game, and the results have been ugly to say the least.
An overall ERA of 6.16, which ranks dead last in the majors. A rotation ERA of 6.91, which doesn't just rank last last -- it ranks as the worst rotation ERA in major league history in this or any year.
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So without a stable of dependable arms to send to the mound, the Red Sox have dug deep for their next starting pitcher.
Tonight's starter is Mike Kickham -- and if you don't recognize that name, you have a valid reason. He hasn't pitched in a major league game since 2014 -- and his last start happened way back in 2013.
Tomase: Sox won't find much FA pitching help this year
Kickham didn't cover himself in glory in the bigs during his 14-game stint with the San Francisco Giants, giving up nine home runs and 37 earned runs in just 30.1 innings, good for a 10.98 ERA, a 2.14 WHIP, and a .370 oppoenent's batting average.
Boston Red Sox
Since then, the 31-year-old has bounced around between five MLB organizations and has spent time in both the Dominican and Mexican Winter Leagues.
And now his next stop is on a major league mound for a team that won the World Series less than two years ago and now has plummeted to a 12-24 record, tied for the second worst mark in the majors.
So while Kickham might be an unexpected Red Sox starter, he can't actually fare worse than the players who have preceded him to the Fenway Park mound this season... can he?