Drew Pomeranz has been starting seasons strong for four years now. And, as impressive as his six-plus-inning stint was in the Red Sox’ 8-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night, the outing actually raised his ERA in his first starts since 2014.
Pomeranz won his first start for the fourth successive season, having surrendered three runs in 23 innings in those appearances.
The trick now is for Pomeranz to continue that level of performance. The other trick is to remain healthy, though he appears to have recovered from a forearm flexor strain that limited him to four appearances and an 0-2 record with an 8.25 ERA in spring training.
“You know, I felt like I waited forever to get that first start,’’ Pomeranz said. “And I think I’ve [been] throwing off the mound eight or nine days, something like that. So, I tried to do everything I could to stay ready for this day, and I’ve just been working hard. And things clicked in warmups today and I just felt really good out there. I took that to the mound and just tried to hold it out there for as long as I could.’’
Pomeranz had been placed on the disabled list, but on Opening Day pitched six innings in an intrasquad game in Fort Myers, Fla.
“I was feeling really good today, figured out some things mechanically, timing-wise, things that I’ve been kind of searching for all spring,’’ Pomeranz said. “And it just kind of all came together.
“I don’t know comparatively, but that’s the best I’ve felt in a long time, put it that way.’’
Despite recovering from injury, Pomeranz did not seem to be pulling any punches. He was clocking 95 miles per hour with his fastballs from the start, indicating he is near full strength.
“Every day is different when you’re warming up,’’ Pomeranz said. “Today, I was feeling really good, so I was letting it fly out there a little bit. I was trying to be aggressive. I finally was getting good extension, the ball finally was coming out, so it didn’t matter if I was throwing 90, like I was at the end, or 95 — it was still coming out how it needed to come out, which really makes it easier on me when I get the timing right.
“I had confidence when I stayed behind and threw on Opening Day in Fort Myers, I felt really good out there — it’s all feeling for me, I felt good and I just tried to carry it over those next 10 days until tonight.’’
Pomeranz had been set for 90 to 95 pitches and, on his 91st pitch, Chris Davis’s opposite-field single to left to lead off the seventh signaled the end of his stint.
Before that, nearly everything had been going well for Pomeranz, who struck out three of the first five batters, then escaped unscathed after surrendering a one-out single to Welington Castillo and double to Trey Mancini in the second inning. Pomeranz retired 12 successive batters before surrendering a double to Adam Jones with one out in the sixth. By that time, Pomeranz’s time was nearing an end, but he still had enough left to retire Manny Machado and Mark Trumbo.
“Tonight, maybe a little more power than anticipated,’’ Red Sox manager John Farrell said of Pomeranz. “The action to his curveball was sharp and tight. Did a great job in the second inning, when they get to second and third with just one out. But just the overall power was very encouraging to see tonight from Drew.
“We went in tonight with an idea of pitch range, the number of pitches to be thrown. How that was going to unfold, you never know. You’ve got a powerful righthanded-hitting lineup that he’s going up against. But he was able to get some swing and miss, he elevated fastballs in appropriate counts and situations. To be able to walk out [and] at least face a lefthander in the seventh inning, we were in positive territory at that point.
“Regardless of the pitcher, the command is always going to be the priority. I thought he settled into a good rhythm. I’m sure there was quite a bit of adrenaline, which would be expected for the first start of a season, but he was able to stay in his delivery very good and when he did miss up and away with a fastball, he was able to self-correct and get right back in the strike zone. So with the two-pitch mix that he had tonight, very encouraging.“
Pomeranz, who joined the Red Sox in a trade for heralded prospect Anderson Espinoza after last year’s All-Star Game, earned his first Fenway Park victory in 11 appearances, seven of them starts.
“Obviously, it’s awesome,’’ Pomeranz said. “Like I said, it felt like I waited forever — go out there and have a good start, we played great as a team, Vaz [Christian Vazquez] did an incredible job behind the plate and at the plate — just a good win all around.’’
