Ron Roenicke’s depressing quote sums up state of Red Sox rotation

After Friday night’s loss to the Yankees, Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke sadly summed up the state of his starting rotation.

The Boston Red Sox are 3-5 on the season after a loss to the rival New York Yankees 5-1 on Friday night. Pitching, in particular the starting rotation, has been a big issue with few options for manager Ron Roenicke to turn to.

David Price was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Mookie Betts deal. Chris Sale underwent Tommy John surgery in March, and of course will miss the entire season. New No.1 starter Eduardo Rodriguez tested positive for COVID-19, and he is now dealing with heart-related complications of the virus.

Friday night’s starter for the Red Sox, Ryan Weber, allowed three runs on four hits over just 3.1 innings. In two starts this season he now has an 11.57 ERA with seven walks, zero strikeouts and four home runs allowed in seven innings.

But his spot in the Red Sox rotation is not in peril, at least for now, if only due to a lack of better options.

Do the Red Sox have any options?

The fairly freshly-signed Zack Godley has made one appearance so far this season, pitching four shutout innings with seven strikeouts and no walks in relief last Monday. He’ll get a turn against the Yankees on Saturday, with a real chance to stick in the starting rotation if he pitches well at all.

The Red Sox appear close to getting some reinforcements. According to Chris Cotillo of Mass Live, left-handers Darwinzon Hernandez and Josh Taylor could rejoin the team next week after recovering from coronavirus. How they’ll each fit into the mix, in terms of the rotation or the bullpen immediately or eventually, is unclear. But any pitching help is welcome for the Red Sox, and Roenicke’s quote after Friday night’s game was a cry for help as much as anything else.