BOSTON — Just ahead of the Red Sox's ALCS opener against the Astros at Fenway Park on Saturday night, manager Alex Cora was asked about concerns he might have about Game 2 starter David Price pitching on what will likely be a 50-degree evening Sunday. Price struggled in the early part of this season, in part because of cold weather in April.
"I read somewhere in social media," Cora said, "that his only postseason start (in which) he went nine (innings), it was under 50 degrees, he went nine innings and gave up two runs. So, small sample size, but he was good."
Well, that's something. Cora's facts were not exactly accurate (even though it was on social media!) — the start in question came in 2014 when he was pitching for the Tigers in the AL Division Series against the Orioles. The game-time temperature was 53 degrees and Price allowed two runs in eight innings. And lost.
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That's the real concern for this team Sunday, the source of angst from Agawam to Attleboro on up to Augusta, and New England points in between. Price just doesn't win in the postseason. As a starter, he is 0-9 in the playoffs with a 6.03 ERA.
His last start didn't inspire much confidence, either, when he gave up three runs to the Yankees in the Division Series and was pulled in the second inning. Against this Houston team that has become such a postseason juggernaut, Price doesn't seem to stand a chance.
Many in Boston's vociferous media chattering class called for Price to be pulled from the rotation and wondered why a guy with such a bummer of a playoff history was given the start in the first place.
Price, though, said that as soon as the final out was recorded in Game 4 of Boston's series win over New York, Cora pulled him aside, told him he was not making any changes and that Price would be his Game 2 pitcher all the way.
"I did expect to make more starts for us in this year's playoffs," Price said, "but Alex told me before we even got off the field that night, so for him to tell me before we even took our jerseys off to put on our postseason shirts, that was special."
It is a gamble on Cora's part, a determination to stick with the lefty to whom the Red Sox gave a seven-year, $217 million contract. Price has been solid when healthy in three seasons with Boston, going 39-19 with a 3.74 ERA, but he has also solidified his reputation as an anti-clutch pitcher who wilts in big situations over that time.
Cora is betting that Price is too good a pitcher to continuously flop in the playoffs, that eventually he will break through and justify his confidence.
In the Yankees start, Cora said, Price's main problem was a failure to change speeds, which allowed the Yankees to get some big swings on him. Price endured a rough stretch in early July, too, but he finished the season with a 7-1 record and a 2.41 ERA in his final 12 starts.
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"We feel that if he attacks the way he did in the second half, using his fastball in different spots and creating differences in his velocity, he'll be good," Cora said. "It seems like the velocity of his cutter and his sinker and four-seamer and the changeup, they were all together. I want to say, location-wise, they were all in the same spot. We did talk about it in the off-day in New York, and he understands, and we expect him to go out there [Sunday] and attack them in a different way and give us a good start."
Price is getting desperate to do the same. What has been especially frustrating is that Price has been so consistently bad in the playoffs as a starter and seems to have no answers. He was asked what he has learned over the year about pitching in the postseason that he did not know before. He started with a long pause. Really, judging by the results, has there been anything he has learned?
"I don't know," Price said. "That's a tough question. I don't really have an answer. I feel like I've given some answers for the past eight years but I really don't have an answer for it. I mean, it's different baseball. It is. It's fun. I enjoy it. Haven't been successful the way that I know I can be and will be, but I look forward to getting out there [Sunday]."
Cora has been unwavering in his commitment to Price. At some point, Price is going to have to reward him.