Pair Of Red Sox Hurlers Prove Why They Should Not Have Been On Roster

Boston could use some upgrades in the bullpen

Scott Neville | Mar 30, 2023

Pair Of Red Sox Hurlers Prove Why They Should Not Have Been On Roster /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox lost to the Baltimore Orioles 10-9 on Opening Day at Fenway Park due to some horrendous pitching performances that solidified the opinions of the majority.

Of the six pitchers to appear in the game for Boston, right-handers Chris Martin -- a notable free-agent signing this winter -- and Josh Winckowski were the only two who pitched well.

Corey Kluber had a rough start but has the pedigree to dispel any ideas that his five earned runs in 3 1/3 innings are anything but an outlier. Zack Kelly struggled but he was thrown into a bases-loaded jam and likely will be a solid back-of-the-bullpen arm moving forward.

Ryan Brasier and Kaleb Ort however, pitched exactly how Red Sox media and fanbase expected -- and feared.

Brasier wasted no time putting up a terrible stat line to pick up right where he left off a season ago. The 35-year-old allowed three earned runs on two hits, two walks and a hit batsman in just one inning of work.

Ort followed that performance up by posting one strong inning, recording a strikeout, single and then forcing a double play. Unfortunately, he was run out there for another inning and ended his day with two earned runs on four hits.

At this point in time, it appears that Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and manager Alex Cora are the only two people on the planet that do not see just how bad these two right-handers are.

Neither player should still be on the 40-man roster, never mind the Opening Day roster. This is not an overreaction to Thursday's outings, it's simply a confirmation of something the majority have been saying for months -- Brasier and Ort have no business pitching in Boston this season.

Cora is a fantastic overall manager and Bloom could become a fixture in the city if his farm system produces at the level it's expected to but both of them seem to have blind spots with the two worst pitchers on the team. Two players that seemingly have an unlimited leash after both were terrible a season ago.

A betting man would feel really good about both players getting designated for assignment by mid-season but as per usual lately, the Red Sox seem to wait until disaster has struck before moving on.

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Published Mar 30, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu