While the Red Sox offense has tried to snap out of a monthlong funk, the pitching staff has shouldered the burden of keeping the team in games.
Coming into their Saturday night matchup against the Royals, the Sox were hitting .239 as a team in July, slugging just .350 and averaging just 4.3 runs. Meanwhile, the Sox pitching staff had a 3.16 ERA, holding opponents to a .227 batting average.
But while the offense sorts through its problems, manager John Farrell said he’s seen the staff stay positive.
“What I’m seeing right now is a pitching staff that is rallying around our offensive group,’’ Farrell said. “The support that’s there, the talk that’s in the dugout, the encouragement, that’s being a good teammate.’’
Despite putting together far and away their best month of the season in terms of ERA (3.19), Sox starters are just 8-9 in July.
Run support has been slim. The Sox lineup has scored three runs or fewer 12 times this month, getting shut out three times.
No one’s been on the short end of the stick more than 2016 AL Cy Young winner Rick Porcello. He’s gotten two runs or fewer in 12 outings, and he’s lost all of them despite having a 3.86 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. (Oddly, when he’s gotten between three to five runs, he has a 7.15 ERA). He’s left the mound with no run support in 10 of his 22 starts this season.
“If you want to talk about Rick Porcello particularly, you would say that it’s affecting him if he comes out in games and there’s an increased number of walks where he’s pitching so fine for the fear of giving up a base runner or a hit or a run,’’ Farrell said. “That’s not the case. And yet he’s the one guy that you look at 10 of the 22 starts where there’s been no runs on the board when he’s been on the mound. That’s almost unheard of. I think he’s handling it as best as possible and that’s going out and executing pitches.’’
Pedroia a late scratch
When the Sox first released their lineup for Saturday’s game, Xander Bogaerts was out and Eduardo Nunez was in his place at shortstop, hitting sixth.
But not long after, Bogaerts was back in the lineup, and Nunez moved to second base to fill in for Dustin Pedroia, who was a late scratch.
Nunez had an impact with the bat, hitting solo homers in the third and fifth innings.
The Sox have been conscientious about giving Pedroia days off to manage the left knee on which he had surgery in the offseason. He was held out for a day game against Anaheim on July 23 and played DH on July 20 against the Blue Jays, two days after the Sox and Jays went 15 innings.
“As we’ve been having to do with Pedey and that left knee, there are days where it’ll act up a little bit, and we’ve got to spend some time with some treatment and get past some of the discomfort that he’s going through,’’ Farrell said. “So I would hope that one day would be enough to get him back to the level where he’s in the lineup again tomorrow.’’
Bogaerts has been managing his own nagging injuries. He was scratched from the lineup July 2 in Toronto because of groin tightness and was hit in the right hand by a pitch on July 6 against Tampa Bay. He came into Saturday 0 for his last 18.
“I think there’s been some gradual improvement with his timing,’’ Farrell said. “A lot has been made about how nicked up he might be, and those have been real. With a little bit of a groin issue in Toronto one night, getting hit in the hand with a pitch down in Tampa. But when you watch the BP and the early work that he does, he’s driving the baseball, there’s good, solid, consistent contact.
“So taking that into the game is where he’s at right now, and I see over the past couple days there’s been slight improvement with the timing. So that’s starting to turn a little bit, but he’s important to our lineup and to our offense, make no mistake about that. So getting him back on track a little bit more consistently would be a big boost for our offense.’’
Fister to start Monday
Doug Fister will be slotted into the rotation on Monday, taking the mound in the series opener against the Indians. That will allow Chris Sale to pitch on an extra day’s rest, which was the original plan before David Price was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Friday. “[We] felt like what we had planned, him getting an extra day this past turn, will stay consistent with that,’’ Farrell said . . . The Sox traded minor league pitcher Luis Ysla to the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash considerations. The 25-year old lefthander went 1-5 with one save and a 5.05 ERA 29 appearances for Double A Portland this season . . . Lefthander Brian Johnson was placed on the seven-day disabled list (retroactive to July 27) with left shoulder inflammation . . . After throwing a 25-pitch bullpen Friday, Joe Kelly will throw live batting practice on Monday. The hope is to have Kelly throw 15 to 20 pitches and then have him begin a rehab assignment. Farrell said Carson Smith is also in line to begin facing hitters soon as well. Before the Sox can determine how much a role Smith can play in the bullpen going forward, they have to get him to the point where he can start a rehab assignment, Farrell said. “Part of the rehab is to work out the kinks,’’ said Farrell. “I mean, he’s not going to be sharp. We know that. But getting to the point of getting out and seeing live hitters, getting in competitive settings, that will be a big boost for him.’’ . . . While Mookie Betts is having his roughest month of the season, hitting just .248 with a .727 OPS through Friday, Farrell said he hasn’t considered moving him out of the leadoff spot. “I don’t know if it was spot-in-the-lineup-related,’’ Farrell said. “Go back to when he was hitting in the three-hole, it was there. And some might say, well, there’s more pressure in the three-spot. So he’s been a catalyst when he’s been on base and when he’s swinging the bat as he’s capable. He hasn’t gone long periods where there’s been a drought. But he’s coming off a couple years where the bench mark is so high and where he’s at right now, you begin to pick things apart.’’
Julian Benbow can be reached at jbenbow@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @julianbenbow.
