BOSTON -- Nathan Eovaldi is still in line to pitch Game 6 of the ALCS even after throwing 24 pitches in relief in Game 4, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Wednesday.
Eovaldi’s ninth-inning appearance didn’t go as planned Tuesday night, as he allowed four earned runs in ⅔ of an inning. The righty is unavailable in Game 5 ahead of his second start of the series Friday.
Cora said Eovaldi’s mechanics were off in his relief appearance Tuesday night. After Eovaldi allowed the go-ahead single to Jason Castro and walked Jose Altuve, Cora lifted him for Martín Pérez, who went on to allow three inherited runners -- and three others -- to score as Houston turned a pitcher’s duel into a rout.
“Obviously, you think about the present, but you think about Game 6, and then you have to be very careful with the way you treat him,” he said.
With the game tied, 2-2, after Altuve hit a game-tying homer off Garrett Whitlock in the eighth inning, Cora aggressively turned to Eovaldi for his first relief appearance since Aug. 2019. In both postseasons he has managed, Cora has employed “rovers” -- using starters as relievers on the days they are not pitching.
Tuesday was the first time Cora turned to one of his top three starters (Eovaldi, Chris Sale or Eduardo Rodriguez) in relief since the final game of the regular season, when Rodriguez tossed a scoreless eighth inning against the Nationals.
“I really don’t like to bring them in a tie game or a one-run game. It just felt like yesterday it was a good lane for us right there,” Cora explained. “Especially at home. It’s different on the road than at home. Just got a shut-down inning in the ninth and give us a chance to win the game.
“At the end he made pitches,” Cora said. “He did make pitches, and it just didn’t work out.”
Cora said Eovaldi’s athleticism makes him more comfortable turning to the righty in high-leverage relief spots. Eovaldi’s intense weight room program has been well-documented.
“He just is at another level, and he is very honest about it,” Cora said. “If he feels good, he feels good. It’s not the, ‘Oh, I’ll give you one inning today,’ just to say it.”
Rodriguez, the presumptive Game 7 starter, is available out of the bullpen Wednesday but the Red Sox hope to stay away from him. Nick Pivetta is almost certainly unavailable after throwing 65 pitches in Game 4, so Boston’s bulk reliever would likely be Tanner Houck, who hasn’t pitched since throwing 18 pitches in Game 1.
“We’ll be smart about it,” Cora said.
Related links:
Why did Boston Red Sox use Martín Pérez in ninth inning of ALCS Game 4? Alex Cora explains
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