One step forward, two steps back.
Top Play (WPA)
After three relatively low-stress innings, David Price gave the lead back to the Rangers, this time on a double by Rougned Odor. Price looked to be settled down and had only allowed a single baserunner since the second inning, but an Elvis Andrus single, combined with Odor’s .211 WPA double, did him in here. Price wavered between being batting practice and ridiculously nasty all night, and he was the former here, as he served up a first-pitch high fastball to an aggressive hitter in Odor.
Bottom Play (WPA)
Amazingly, this was the very next play, as Jurickson Profar would ground into an inning-ending, 1-2-3 double play.
Boy, Price and Hanley Ramirez tried their best to mess that one up, huh? Thankfully, Sandy Leon was there to make a spectacular play despite Odor crashing into his forearm. That one was worth -.114 WPA, and man, Leon has been nothing short of a revelation as of late. This just adds to the legend.
Key Moment
Welcome to the most cringe-worthy part of the post, where we showcase Craig Kimbrel failing to do…well, anything good. Kimbrel looked wild, and was pretty hittable when he was in the zone. The Rangers took advantage of that, first scoring on a Profar single and then having Robinson Chrinos hit one off the light stanchion. With how poor the Rangers’ bullpen has been, the Red Sox might’ve had a chance down one or two runs, but not five. That dagger downed any hope of a ninth inning comeback.
Trend to Watch
David Price continues to be an enigma. Believe it or not, he has yet to have a scoreless outing this year. He has two one-run starts, compared to three six-run disasters. He’s not been the ace we expected him to be, nor has he been worth the contract so far. It’s disappointing to be sure, and the inning-to-inning variance of stuff & command is frustrating enough to evoke Buchholz flashbacks. At least his peripherals are great. And all things considered, he did pitch well tonight. One can only hope he’ll get better. He has to be.
Coming Next
The Red Sox and Rangers duke it out one more time, and newly-minted All-Star Steven Wright will toe the rubber against the Rangers and Martin Perez.
Photo by Mark L. Baer/USA Today Sports Images