BOSTON – For Red Sox fans watching in the stands at Fenway Park or from home, there was a narrative they had likely built up in their minds for Wednesday night’s game against the Mets.
With Boston’s bullpen spent due to recent usage – including getting the final 20 outs of Tuesday’s win following the ejection of Walker Buehler – it was a great night to have ace Garrett Crochet on the mound.
The thinking was that Crochet could use his overpowering arsenal to pitch deep into the game and put the team on his back. In actuality, Crochet was thinking that way also.
However, inside the office of manager Alex Cora, the thinking was rather different. And that’s why Crochet was lifted after 5 1/3 innings and 85 pitches (62 strikes) in the 5-1 loss to New York.
The game was tied when the left-hander headed to the dugout.
“Today was one of those days that we circled up that we're going to be short [with Crochet], and they put together some good at-bats early on, fouled off some pitches,” said Cora. “The pitch count got up in the first inning, but after that, he was efficient and gave us enough.”
For Crochet, the ultimate competitor, it didn’t feel like enough.
“I was frustrated [when Cora came to the mound],” Crochet said. “Just wanted a chance to pick up my teammates in the bullpen. They've obviously worked really hard this series, and I wanted to try and keep them out of it as much as possible.”
Crochet was pleased with the way his manager conveyed the message.
“He was just kind of letting me know, ‘Hey, we're monitoring your workload.’ I said, ‘I get it.’ I apologized for yelling a curse word on the field when I saw him coming out there,” said Crochet.
“I wasn't trying to show him up. I was just really in the moment. I knew where my pitch count was and how my body was feeling. So I was excited to attack the next hitter, but it was in no way my intention to show him up at any point.”
Why was this the night to cut Crochet’s outing short? The main line of reasoning seemed to be that this was his second consecutive start going on the standard four days of rest. The Red Sox like to build an extra day of rest for the 25-year-old when the schedule allows for it, given that last season was his first in the Majors as a starter.
Given all that, is it still a tough balancing act given the extenuating circumstances from Tuesday?
“It's not tough,” said Cora. “It’s for the benefit of the player. We're here for the long run, and we need that guy to make his starts. For us to go to where we feel we can go, we need him.”
In this particular circumstance, Crochet could respect it without liking it. It was a situation in which he understood what the team was thinking, but he didn’t necessarily agree with it.
“It's tough. Looking at my teammates in the eye following the game, I'd like to be able to do that after laying it on the line,” Crochet said. “It is what it is. Not my call. I throw until the ball’s taken out of my hand. That's really all there is to it.”
Hendriks struggles after expressing displeasure
In a pregame interview with The Boston Globe, Red Sox veteran righty Liam Hendriks expressed displeasure with his role. In particular, he was upset about not having more structure, and also not pitching more frequently.
With the bullpen short on Wednesday, Hendriks had a chance to play a big role. He got the final two outs of the sixth inning in relief of Crochet, but he allowed three straight singles to open the seventh before getting taken out. Brennan Bernardino allowed all three of the inherited runners to score, and Hendriks’ ERA rose from 3.38 to 5.56.
Cora downplayed the criticism by the righty. Hendriks elaborated after the game when asked what upset him.
“There were a couple games I was the last guy in the bullpen,” said Hendriks. “It's a new experience for me. I feel like I'd been pitching well enough to get trusted in a couple of those situations, and it didn't come to fruition.
“We had a couple chats, and I got in there today and it didn't quite work out. But at the end of the day, regardless of any situation, I’ve got to go out there and get the job done when I do pitch. And today, I didn’t.”