It was clear when the Red Sox signed Garrett Whitlock to a contract extension that they foresaw a future where he moved from his role in the bullpen to the starting rotation. No one had any problems with this, because it was clear that Whitlock was dominant and could become a formidable top starter in the big leagues. The only issue is the Red Sox made that switch too early.
When Tanner Houck was put on the restricted list when Boston headed to Toronto for the first time, it left an opening in the starting rotation that needed to be filled. Alex Cora and the front office decided on Whitlock, the superstar from the bullpen who was comfortable going more than one inning, to fill that spot. Since that change back in late April Whitlock has been in the rotation ever since and Tanner Houck has been in the bullpen, the two pitchers seeming swapping spots. What seemed like a straightforward idea from the start has now become one that should not have been made in hindsight.
Replacing Houck with Whitlock for the Toronto start made all the sense in the world. After that game however he should have returned to the bullpen. Whitlock has looked impressive in some of his starts since, but he has also looked a bit shaky in others. He absence in the bullpen has also left a big hole that Houck can unfortunately not fill. Whitlock has brought a lot of the production to the rotation that Houck did, while Houck has not done the same while in the bullpen. What the Sox lack is a strong, backend arm in the bullpen to close games. What is even worse is they have that, but he is throwing the first pitches of the game and not the last. Despite Whitlock pitching well as a starter, the Red Sox have a 3-4 record when he takes the mound. Not only that, but Whitlock's peripherals are starting to look more and more concerning.
Since making the switch to a starting pitcher, Whitlock has seen some regression which was expected. So far this season he has allowed one less earned run than last year in less than half the amount of innings pitched. What is worse is the extended time on the mound is giving opposing hitters more looks at him, subsequently giving them more chances to figure him out. They are starting to step out a bit more to disrupt his timing among other small things just to throw him for a loop. His slider, a pitch which he utilized more towards the back end of the season last year, is seeing more usage now that he is going longer in games. This means that it is being seen more, and the expected batting average on it has gone up on it quite some bit. He has also lost a bit of command on his fastball and changeup, with those pitches leaking over the plate some more resulting in them being hit much harder as well.
Coming out of the bullpen, Whitlock was a machine. He would mow threw hitters left and right, and anytime you saw him coming out you would expect a clean inning. Houck on the other hand has not been all that. He has been good, having figured his slider back out again, especially in his role piggybacking Rich Hill. But a lot of these games that the Red Sox have lost, especially the Whitlock starts in particular, are not the result of poor performance from the starters, but rather the bullpen imploding. Take Friday's 12-8 loss to the Orioles. Whitlock departs in the 6th with an 8-2 lead. In the subsequent three innings the Orioles tee off for 10 runs and win the game. Those Whitlock innings would have been a lot more meaningful later in the game than to start.
I think the switch back should be starting soon, as they ease both the pitchers back into their respective roles they played last year. Starting pitchers Chris Sale and James Paxton are both coming back too, so if you want you can keep both in the bullpen and call up Connor Seabold or Josh Winckowski up to fill that final rotation spot. Winckowski did not look all too impressive in his debut, but based off what we have seen in Triple-A so far this year, the walks should be an anomaly and he could be quite impressive (or at least good enough to keep you afloat until Sale and Paxton arrive). Reverting Whitlock back into the bullpen will also help much more in the long run closing out games, but my fear is he won't be as effective as we were accustomed to seeing him. Hitters have much more film on him, and know how to attack him. Now is his time to see him attack back with the adjustments of his own. The only annoying thing is he shouldn't have too, as he should never have left the bullpen this year.
Comments
Post a Comment