After falling to the New York Yankees on Sunday Night Baseball, the Boston Red Sox bounced back with a pivotal 4-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday, improving to 4-1 on their current road trip.
Alex Cora went with a bullpen game for the series opener, starting Brennan Bernardino for an inning before handing the ball to Richard Fitts. Fitts was solid in his first Major League start since July 28, allowing three runs on two hits and three walks with six strikeouts over four-plus innings and earning his first win since July 7.
Fitts, who threw 40 of his 68 pitches for strikes, threw just one pitch in the bottom of the sixth before leaving the game with right biceps tightness. Despite coming into the game sooner than expected, Steven Matz relieved him with two scoreless innings.
While his early exit was both concerning and disappointing, the 25-year-old rookie provided a positive update after the game.
“Felt a couple things in my warmup pitches, just kind of pulling on the bicep a little bit,” Fitts said. “We’re gonna evaluate tomorrow, but I’m feeling pretty good about it.”
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Fitts spent much of April and May on the injured list with a right pectoral strain. Fortunately, it sounds like another IL trip probably won’t be necessary.
That’s good news for the Red Sox, who need as much pitching depth as possible at this stage of the season. They control the top wild card spot in the American League after Monday’s win but still have 30 games left in the regular season, plus playoff games if they make it.
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Fitts has been up and down this year between his injury and time at Triple-A Worcester, making it tough for him to get in a groove. He’s shown flashes of potential, going 2-4 with a 5.00 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP and 40 strikeouts in 45 innings.
If he stays healthy, Fitts has a chance to make an impact for Boston down the stretch. Hopefully he’s able to get back on the mound soon and return to action before long.
