Where the Red Sox might go from here
TORONTO - The easy narrative emanating from Connor Seabold's second big-league start was that it did nothing to have the Red Sox' yearning for a third.
Seven runs on nine hits in just 4 2/3 innings in what would be a 7-2 Red Sox loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
it was a performance that left the California native clearly attempting to get his head around what was 180 degrees from the results he had been siphoning at Triple-A Worcester.
'My stuff was a lot better," said Seabold, comparing his first start with the Red Sox this season with his only other big-league outing, a three-inning start Sept. 11 of year. "Fastball had a lot more life than it did last year. All my pitches had more life. It was just a different team, different time of the year. Kind of ran into a buzzsaw."
Unfortunately for Seabold, he knows all to well that even with improved stuff and approach, while going up against one of the American League's most daunting lineups, this level is a results business. Especially when you're pitching for a team that finds itself smack dab in the postseason conversation, sitting 1/2 game up on Toronto.
"He was OK," said Cora, whose starting rotation hadn't allowed as many as seven runs since Nathan Eovaldi's nine-run debacle against Houston on May 17.
"Early on, the fastball was playing. The swings and misses up in the zone. Actually, the changeup was really good tonight. The other stuff was Okay. That’s a tough lineup. He hung a breaking ball to George (Springer) and then the fastball to (Matt) Chapman, velo was down right there but where we were, we had to push him to five. We needed five. It didn’t happen but I think overall, better than last year, though the results are going to show you something else. The fastball was really good and like I said, the changeup, Christian (Vazquez) gave me the feedback, 'Alex, the changeup played.' That’s a good pitch. He was OK.”
It was a changeup Seabold threw 21 times, getting 15 swings, seven of them going for whiffs. In total, the righty induced a remarkable 21 swings and misses.
It allowed the Red Sox to keep carrying the kind of optimism that has been prevalent for most of the last two months.
"You go through a Triple-A lineup there are three or four guys who can play in the big leagues," said Seabold, who carried a 2.09 ERA in 11 starts with Worcester. "There aren’t many holes in that lineup and that is the reality of any major league team. You just have to adapt to that. Hopefully, I get more opportunities and make the most of them. Hopefully, get better from here."
Thanks to MacFarlane Energy where they provide championship quality home heating oil and HVAC services.