Connelly Early took the mound for his first start against a team not named the Athletics on Sunday. The Boston Red Sox rookie had been excellent in his first two starts, allowing just one earned run in 10 1/3 innings.
He faced adversity early in his start against Tampa. Chandler Simpson led off the game with a single, and the lefty appeared to be affected by his presence on the bases. He walked each of the next two hitters to load the bases as he monitored the speedsters’ leads.
Early then struck out Brandon Lowe to ease some of the pressure, but a double and a throwing error later, and the Rays jumped ahead of the Red Sox, 3-0. The damage wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but Early was disappointed in the start of his outing nonetheless.
“I just didn’t do a good enough job being in the strike zone from pitch one,” Early said. “Two walks in the first is a tough start, and going down 3-0 is really tough.”
The rookie settled in, but his 31-pitch first inning limited his length. Over the next three innings, he faced the minimum and kept the Red Sox in the game, a testament to his mentality.
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“Just sticking with the bulldog mentality out there. After you give up three in the first inning, you’re trying to keep your team in it as long as you possibly can, so just going out there and trying to execute every pitch,” Early said.
The first inning was a blemish on an otherwise impressive outing. It was the rookie’s first time working on four days’ rest, and his stuff remained sharp. His fastball velocity was down slightly, but he still managed to generate five whiffs with the pitch. He also used his sweeper very effectively against left-handed hitters, something he wasn’t asked to do often against the Athletics.
The Red Sox fought back, but the bullpen failed to keep the Rays’ lead at one in the eighth inning. Boston couldn’t match their output in the ninth and lost the game, 7-3.
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Early will be in the mix for one more start in the regular season. With the Red Sox clinging to a Wild Card spot by one game, he might be asked to pitch in relief as well, if the team needs additional innings. Boston has an off day on Monday and returns to action against the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday.
