NEW YORK — David Price says he’s got it all figured out. Dustin Pedroia went up to Price in the visitors’ clubhouse at Yankee Stadium Sunday afternoon and showed Price a photo of his delivery from past seasons versus a photo of Price now. Price looked at the photos and noticed a difference in the positions of his arms and lift leg.
“It’s an easy fix,’’ the lefthander said.
He said he’ll work on the mechanical problem when he throws a bullpen session at Fenway Park before Monday night’s game against Oakland. Price is scheduled to start Thursday at home against the Astros and he’ll be trying to get back on track after seven uneven starts in which he’s blown four leads and compiled a staggering ERA of 6.75.
“I put myself in this situation,’’ Price said. “I can’t be upset about it. I’ve got to block all that stuff out. This has been, hands down, the worst I’ve thrown a baseball over a seven-game stretch. To me, it can only get better.
“It can’t get any worse than this,’’ he added, knocking on wood.
Armchair sports psychologists and talk show hosts will submit that Price is feeling the heat after signing a $217 million contract last winter. I asked him if his contract has him trying too hard to prove his worth to Boston fans.
“I’m still David Price,’’’ he answered. “I’m not a number. I can’t think about that. Honestly, I don’t even think about that. I don’t think about the amount of money I make. I don’t even spend money. I don’t live a lavish lifestyle. I enjoy nice things. I don’t have a whole lot of them. I don’t remember the last time I went shopping or spent five hundred bucks on something random. If I buy something, it’s off Amazon, it’s because I need it or I really want it. Something I use all the time. I bought a bicycle for four hundred bucks and I use it all the time. Stuff like that.’’
What about the noise of the Boston Baseball Experience? What about the talk shows and social media? After a brutal start against Tampa in April, Price tweeted, “Tough day yesterday, but I WILL get better. Stick with me #soxnation. I’m determined to make all of you love me!!’’
He made no such pleas to Sox Nation after Saturday’s stinker in the Bronx.
“I sent out a Mother’s Day tweet today, that’s it,’’ said the ever-calm Price. “I’m sure some people will have some choice words for my mom, but they wouldn’t say it to my face, nor would they say it to hers. There’s a lot of Internet bullies. So what? . . . It’s all right. I’m not running away from it. The fans want the Red Sox to succeed. They don’t want anybody on this team to not perform. But if you don’t, they’ll let you know.’’
So, exactly what has he been doing wrong and what does he have to do to fix things?
“Dustin came up to me in the food room and showed me two pictures,’’ Price said. “He’d been looking at video of himself hitting against lefthanders [Saturday] night. He saw a video of me. He said, ‘I got two pictures. This is when I faced you in 2013 and this is you right now.’ Whenever I saw that, it all made sense.
“I’ve identified something I’m doing now that I’ve never done. I’ve talked to manager John [Farrell] and showed him pictures that Pedey had sent him and it explains a lot. It’s definitely a big factor. It’s all with my hands. It’s just having that rhythm with my hands. I’ve said it many times and I’ve said to kids in camps. I always say that my hands and my right knee are connected by a string. And that hasn’t been the case. My hands have stayed low and that’s not allowing my leg to get normal. It takes a lot of the rhythm away from me and makes it extremely tough to execute that pitch. I have no margin of error whenever I don’t have that rhythm. It’s frustrating to know it’s something that’s that small and I wasn’t able to pick up on that. For me, that’s an easy fix. That’s the way I’ve always thrown a baseball. In the beginning of a season you have to remember all your staples as a pitcher. It’s remembering what makes you you. It’s a big thing for me. My delivery is very simple, but I have a lot of rhythm throughout it. My arm’s just not catching up to my body and it’s a big deal.’’
The Sox come home for seven games starting Monday and the pressure is mounting on Price. I told him to stay off social media and hide out in Cambridge where no one will recognize him.
“I love this game, man, I put everything I have into it,’’ he said. “I know I’m struggling. It’s not fun to go out there and struggle, especially in the position I’m in now. This is a time when I’ve wanted to throw the baseball the best. I know my teammates know what I’m capable of doing out there on the field, and so do our fans. That’s why I’m here. I’m here to help this team win. I’m still smiling.’’
Tuesday night is David Price bobblehead night at Fenway.
Dan Shaughnessy can be reached at dshaughnessy@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @dan_shaughnessy.