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BOSTON – A year ago at that time, David Price was on the disabled list, more than a week from his first appearance after eight weeks of inaction due to an elbow inflammation left. He returned, albeit in a limited role, to throw in five runs of the race without relief, then toss 6-3 scoreless innings with the Red Sox in the four-game losing streak against the Astros. .
It had been a difficult season for the southpaw, with DL's first long run of his career and an ugly showdown with Red Sox broadcaster Dennis Eckersley on a team flight. Defeat in the first round, even for a better Houston team, put a last scar on the season.
Price entered 2018 in the fourth year of a possible seven-year contract (he has an exemption clause after this season that he is unlikely to exercise) with much to prove .
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He showed that he's still one of the best left-handers in the league, and he proved Friday night in the match against the Astros at Fenway that his recent DL relay – he left a match at the end August after being hit by an online workout – was not a cause for concern. While the Astros finally won the 6-3 win against Joe Kelly, Price let Houston guess the night away. He dropped 14 straight at one point, eliminated 10 points in 6 1/3 innings (seven watching) and got a shutout in the seventh inning.
"It was good to see," said Alex Cora, head of the Red Sox. "We talked about [Chris] Sale and price and rest and all that and all that, but you're never 100% sure if that's the right way to do it. Obviously, with [Price]he was touched. Even if he was ready a few days ago, you still hold your breath. "
With a big lead in AL East, the Red Sox can afford to be cautious with starting pitchers. Dirty launched just once since July 27, starting on August 12 in which he fanned 12 innings in five innings and reached 100 mph, but then landed on the DL with inflammation of the left shoulder. He will not start in this series against the Astros, but he should start early next week. Price, likewise, probably would not have gone on the DL if the Red Sox were side-by-side with the Yankees instead of taking a nine-game lead.
More than anything, this game has revealed the importance of Price to the Red Sox to win everything. The Astros denounced the average relief of the Boston bullpen, rallying to Ryan Brasier in seventh to take a 3-2 lead after Price's departure with two runners, then with three points on Kelly in the eighth to take a 6-3 . drive. After the match, Cora announced that Matt Barnes, the guy in the team's most reliable team since the start of the season, was unavailable with left hip inflammation and an MRI on Thursday.
The seventh inning started with Alex Bregman's double on Eduardo Nunez's glove, then Tyler White pulled out one. That was the price after 101 locations. He said that he was fine and that he wanted to stay and that he was still feeling strong – "I will never ask to come out of a match" – but Brasier faced Yuli Gurriel, who quickly doubled the Green Monster. Cora said the pitch was supposed to be in place, but Brasier missed the location.
The next round against Kelly started the same way. George Springer fouled a 3-2 throw, then only one in the left field. Jose Altuve then reached an isolated ground in the middle. Rather than two years, the Red Sox were now facing a double-out situation. Alex Bregman was sitting on a 100-mph fastball from Kelly and lined a base shot to charge the bases. From there, the backpack, the wild throw, the shot of Tyler White, the game over, the concern about the Boston paddock has further increased.
This type of match tells us the playoffs and a possible confrontation with ALCS. While the playoff trend is more marked by the innings and less by the beginners, the Red Sox may have to go further with their debut than other teams if the system does not start blocking more zeros.
In early August, Bull Sox Red Sox earned an ERA of 3.34, sixth best of the majors. Since the beginning of the month of August it is 4.11, the 18th in the majors. And since August 24, it's 5.22, 24th in the majors. And now, with Barnes healing a hip, there is even more uncertainty.
This brings us back to Price and its October story. After the match, a reporter asked Price why he had been able to end the season in force in recent years. It had the abbreviation of September last year, but in 2016, it had an ERA of 3.58 in the second half, against 4.34 in the first half. In 2015, when he was with the Blue Jays, he went 5-0 with an ERA of 2.32 in September. The price has stopped at the question. "I do not know … I was bad in October."
Indeed, we know his story: he is 2-8 years old with an ERA of 5.03 in his playoff career. Both victories came in relief. In nine starts, his team lost nine games. This is the burden that Price will face once the month of October ended. Considering the opponent Friday, he has just launched one of the best games of the season for the Red Sox. If Nunez scored Bregman's double, he will probably win seven wins and win the Red Sox. In the end, it is October that counts now for the Red Sox.
It is at this point that Price will have to prove itself – whether against the Astros or the Indians or the A's or the Yankees. This makes him one of the most important actors of this month of October.
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