Cooper Criswell has had a hard time climbing the Boston Red Sox depth chart this season.
Richard Fitts, Hunter Dobbins and even Sean Newcomb all jumped the righty for opportunities at the big league level this season.
Last season, Criswell was effective. In 26 games, he posted a 4.08 ERA. While the number doesn’t jump off the page, it’s good enough for a spot starter trying to give the team a chance to win. Criswell doesn’t have electric stuff. He tops out in the low 90s with his sinker and gets outs by living on the edges of the strike zone.
On Friday against the Houston Astros, he executed his game plan to perfection. Against righties, he stole strikes with his cutter at the top of the strike zone, while jamming them inside with his sinker. He used a sweeper on the glove side as well, though it didn’t generate any swings and misses.
Against lefties, Criswell didn’t leave anything over the middle of the plate. He spotted his cutter high and on the glove side, and featured an improved changeup that generated three whiffs on nine pitches.
Story continues below advertisement
While fans might be clamoring for more Criswell, that might not be the best path forward. He was effective on Friday, but his lack of velocity requires him to pitch on the edges to be successful. He did that against Houston, but repeating that level of command for several starts in a row is incredibly rare.
Dustin May is slated to join the rotation on Wednesday, replacing Criswell. With a lack of rotation depth outside the active roster, Criswell could be featured for another spot start later this season.
