Alex Cora frustrated with Nathan Eovaldi’s recent starts
By Cody Rivera
Manager Alex Cora admitted plain and simple that the Red Sox need their right-hander to pitch better than he has in his last few outings.
The Boston Red Sox acquired right-handed starter Nathan Eovaldi at the trade deadline to add some meat to their rotation for the stretch run. While Eovaldi got off to a pretty sensational start for the Red Sox, pitching 15 shutout innings over his first two starts, he has since taken a substantial drop in effectiveness on the mound.
Against the Chicago White Sox on Friday, Eovaldi allowed three runs in two innings (he was limited to just two innings due to a long rain delay). In his previous four starts, he gave up at least four runs in three of them.
Because Eovaldi was limited from the rain delay, he will get another start on Monday in Atlanta — an opportunity to fix the problems and get back in the good graces of Red Sox fans, who are growing increasingly frustrated with Eovaldi’s performances.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora even admitted during Friday’s postgame interview that Eovaldi has to perform better.
“We have to make adjustments (with two strikes), we have to,” Cora said, according to NESN.com. “His stuff is too good for him to be hit like that with two strikes.
“We need this guy to be good, and we know he can be good. His stuff is that good, but we’ve got to fix him. We’ve got to find something better so that he can be better.”
The Red Sox aren’t exactly hurting right now with a 7.5-game lead over the New York Yankees in the AL East. But with Chris Sale already on the disabled list and David Price missing at least one start after getting hit by a line drive, Boston needs Eovaldi to at least be a pitcher that can keep them in games.
They didn’t acquire Eovaldi to be an ace, but they did acquire him for added insurance down the stretch and into the playoffs, and he’s not doing that job if he’s giving up four or five runs every start.
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Cora said they need to find a way to “fix” Eovaldi, and they’ve got exactly one month to do it. It’s still too early to say that this trade didn’t work out, but plain and simple, Eovaldi has to be better than this.