Red Sox starting rotation dazzles through first series of season
The Boston Red Sox's starting rotation was one of the team's biggest question marks going into the new season.
After a lackluster winter and some injuries, Boston is running a similar starting rotation to 2023, which ended with an average ERA of 4.68 and a last-place AL East finish.
The 2024 rotation will rock with the returning arms of Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta, Kutter Crawford, Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck, and in the first series of the season, the group turned some heads.
Throughout the four-game series against the Seattle Mariners, Red Sox starters have a 1.64 ERA, 27 strikeouts and have only allowed one walk. This is the fourth time Boston starters have thrown five-plus innings and allowed two runs or fewer in each of the team's first four games.
The last time this occurred? 2018, the year they won the World Series.
The rotation also made history on Saturday. Red Sox starters allowed two runs or less and issued one walk or less in each of the team's first three games of a season for the first time in franchise history.
Boston split the four-game series with Seattle. Bello got the win on Opening Day, Pivetta had a 1-0 loss in Game 2, Crawford took a no-decision in Game 3 (the Red Sox lost in extra innings) and Whitlock earned a win in Game 4.
New pitching coach Andrew Bailey can be seen as the one key difference between 2023 and 2024. Bailey, 39, is a former reliever who spent eight seasons in the majors.
He was brought on by former teammate and Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow in hopes of helping restore the battered rotation, and his impact is already being seen.
Though it is still very early in the season, it is hard not to get excited about what the rotation has been able to accomplish so far.
The Sox will look to carry this momentum throughout their 10-game road trip. Tanner Houck will take the mound on Monday to open the three-game series against the Oakland Athletics. First pitch is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. EST.
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