“This is the Pitcher Boston Signed”

By Matt Loehle

David Price has been absolute dynamite for the Red Sox as of late, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. Price has been winning fans back, slowly but surely, thanks to his dominant second half performance. Despite bad blood with the media and some of Red Sox Nation, Price has been rolling out strong start after strong start. In the past few weeks, he has stifled the Yankees, Phillies, and just recently the Indians – all legitimate World Series contenders. Is this David Price resurgence/revenge tour for real, or is it just another one of these hot streaks he goes on before crumbling under the pressure of the playoffs?

Price’s self-confidence level and prickly attitude toward the media gets heightened when he’s on a hot streak like this. That’s generally when he gives out some juicy one-liners for the media to pick at. And, sure enough, it was in full force after his 8 scoreless-inning performance versus the Indians. Price claimed that he was back to his old self, the pitcher that Boston forked over $217 million dollars for. Bold words, especially considering the terse relationship he has with the Red Sox fanbase. Yes, in this half of a season, David Price is showing flashes of his old 2011 self – incredible fastball command, a devastating changeup, and Cy Young-caliber numbers. He’s got a 1.09 ERA since the All-Star Break. He’s been whiffing batters while painting the corners with his fastball. His backdoor cutter has been filthy. As a fan, it’s been awesome to watch. For the playoffs, having two guys pitching at an ace level would be huge. The tandem of Chris Sale and 2011-David Price matches up against anybody’s frontline starters (Verlander/Cole, Kluber/Bauer, Severino/Tanaka). Winning the first two games in a best-of-five ALDS Series effectively punches your ticket to the next round.

Yes, I’m looking ahead to the playoffs because that’s where Price can really back up his words. Right now, I take this great pitching streak with a grain of salt. I don’t know how you can’t.Boston paid him $217 million to pitch like this in the regular season, but that’s only half the battle. The other half is throwing 8 scoreless innings in playoff starts, and potentially World Series starts. Price’s ineffectiveness in the playoffs in well-documented, and we don’t need to revisit it in great detail. However, I will disagree with his recent comments about being worth the money until he’s wins a playoff start with a stud-like performance. I’m on board the Price revenge wagon, and gaining confidence by the start in his ability to perform in October. Just don’t say “This is the pitcher Boston signed” until then, please. Keep the comments to a minimum.

Buy in on the David Price resurgence. He’s passed the eye test and overcome the necessary demons (Yankees, inability to pitch in big spots) that have haunted him during his time in Boston. Price could find himself being a formidable presence on the mound come playoff time.