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The Boston Red Sox recorded a win against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday, but the game might have raised more questions about a deep playoff run than the standings would suggest.
The team has risen to a wild card spot with a division title firmly in reach thanks to a second-half surge this season. Surprisingly, that surge has corresponded with the team deciding to part ways with franchise slugger Rafael Devers, and several players have stepped up to fill his shoes. But nobody has been more important to the team’s success than ace southpaw Garrett Crochet, who has performed like a Cy Young Award contender this season.
On Tuesday, though, Crochet endured his worst start of the year, giving up seven earned runs in just six innings and raising questions about how he might be able to endure a deep playoff run.
“Could it be that Crochet’s workload is catching up to him?” Alex Speier asked for The Boston Globe. “He’s at 178 1/3 innings, more than he’s ever thrown in his life.”
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Questions about the wear on Crochet’s arm and a potential injury explanation for his recent issues are understandable, given that the pitcher first became a big-league starter last year after pitching just over a dozen innings the season before that and missing all of the season before that with an injury.
Given that history and his importance to the team, Crochet revealed that his Red Sox teammates have questioned him about his health status.
“Even my teammates are asking me, like, ‘Hey, how are you feeling?'” Crochet told Speier.
The pitcher added that he feels fine and he attributed his poor outing against the Guardians to their game planning and preparation for his pitches. But if he’s unable to recover and enjoy a healthy and effective return to the mound in his next outing, Crochet could face some more questions from teammates as concerns about a potential injury continue to grow.
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