For most of the first month of the season, Red Sox pitchers, who led the AL in ERA last year, ranked 12th in the league in that department. The ERA of the starting pitchers after last Friday’s loss at Tampa Bay was 4.51. Today it’s 3.88 after four straight strong starts by their pitchers, ranking the Sox rotation fourth in the AL.
Interestingly, none of the last four victories has gone to a starting pitcher because the Red Sox have been scratching to score runs and winning games late.
Over the last four games Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and Daisuke Matsuzaka have allowed just three runs in 30 innings, an 0.90 ERA. Each of them has pitched at least seven innings and allowed no more than two runs.
The last time Red Sox starters pitched four games in succession with at least seven innings pitched and two or fewer runs scored was in April of 1997 when John Wasdin, Tom Gordon, Tim Wakefield, and Aaron Sele performed the feat.
Sox pitchers have fanned 213 batters, the most in the AL. But only Detroit and Texas pitchers have walked more batters.
Overall, the Red Sox' staff 4.32 ERA ranked 10th in the league going into tonight's game.