Big changes are coming to the Red Sox pitching staff. Is Boston shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic or positioning itself for a second-half comeback?
Masslive.com’s Christopher Smith reports right-hander Garrett Richards is losing his spot in the starting rotation to ace Chris Sale, who will make his season debut Saturday after recovering from Tommy John surgery which sidelined him all of last year.
Richards is 6-7 with a 5.22 ERA in 22 starts and has struggled ever since MLB began its sticky-stuff crackdown earlier this season.
Richards’ demotion came five days after manager Alex Cora banished Martin Perez to the bullpen in favor of Tanner Houck. Perez is 7-8 with a 4.80 ERA this season. Houck has a 2.45 ERA in seven appearances this season, including five starts.
“Just like MartÃn, disappointed,” Cora said about how Richards reacted to the news. “They see themselves as starters but at the same time, understanding where we’re at and the people that are coming here to contribute.”
Smith reports Houck is expected to start for Boston on Thursday.
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Cora also announced Wednesday that closer Matt Barnes will be taking a short break. Per The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham:
Matt Barnes, as you would expect, is going to get a couple of days off. Once he returns he’s still the closer. But there are few things they need to go over.
Barnes, an All-Star this year, has taken the loss in each of his last two appearances, giving up a total of six runs in one inning of work. That includes a ninth-inning meltdown Tuesday against the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.
For the year, Barnes is 6-5 with a 3.52 ERA and has blown five saves.
The Red Sox enter play Thursday in second place in the American League East, five games behind the Rays. Boston is two games ahead of the New York Yankees in the American League Wild-Card race.
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