Every game the Boston Red Sox play is more important than the last. That has become abundantly clear in August.
With a split against the Baltimore Orioles, the Red Sox sit 3 1/2 games back of the Kansas City Royals for the third Wild Card spot in the American League. Though the Royals have a brutal schedule coming up, Boston can hardly afford to keep losing ground.
The Red Sox know they are up against it. That has led manager Alex Cora to manage his pitching staff much more carefully, especially as many of his young starters are beginning to reach innings totals they've never sniffed before at any level of competition.
It certainly makes sense why Cora has used the quick hook at times, most recently on Sunday, when he pulled Kutter Crawford with one out in the sixth inning. Crawford was at just 75 pitches, but he had begun to lose his command.
However, it was clear that Crawford was frustrated with his inability to finish the outing on a high note.
“It’s just annoying and frustrating,” Crawford said, per Ian Browne of MLB.com “I just have to be more aware about attacking the zone once I get ahead of that hitter and not shy away from contact. But yeah it's most definitely frustrating not being able to get through the sixth.”
Crawford sailed through four innings and still looked strong through five despite allowing a solo home run to Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman in the fifth.
But in the sixth, Crawford walked Ramón Urías, hit Colton Cowser with a pitch, then surrendered a run when Ceddanne Rafaela made a throwing error on a potential double-play ball. Cora then took Crawford out in favor of Bailey Horn, who immediately allowed a back-breaking two-run homer to Gunanr Henderson.
“The red flag was the walk,” Cora said, per Browne. “The command was off [at that point].”
Even if the results worked out poorly, it was hard to argue with Cora's logic in removing Crawford from the game. It was the second straight outing in which his stuff drastically tailed off in the sixth inning. But Crawford's frustration is understandable too.
If the Red Sox are going to mount a late-season resurgence, they will need Crawford to work through those tough innings, especially given the bullpen's recent ineptitude. He's shown the ability to work deep into games before, but he's at a crossroads as the calendar shifts toward September.
