David Price: I have to 'get better'
After stumbling through a dismal start against the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday at Fenway Park, leaving Red Sox fans muttering under their breath for the second time in his last three outings, newly signed ace David Price was succinct and self-aware when asked where he goes from here.
"Get better," Price told reporters following the 12-8 loss. "I don't enjoy that. I definitely enjoy going out there and doing what I love, and that's not fun for me. I know I'm better than that. Whenever you get five runs in the bottom half of the first inning, that's unacceptable."
Earlier this week, Price managed to erase the bad taste that lingered after last Monday's lousy Fenway debut with a strong performance against the Toronto Blue Jays, but the good will he generated in that solid start against his former team quickly evaporated Thursday. Despite inheriting a four-run lead after one inning, Price squandered the early edge shortly thereafter, getting torched for five runs in the fourth before being lifted for Matt Barnes with two outs (Price was charged with another run, by the way, when Barnes allowed a baserunner he was responsible for to score on a two-out single from Steven Souza).
Through his first four starts since signing his record-shattering $217-million deal, the former Cy Young award winner owns a 7.06 ERA while managing 0.4 WAR - right on par with the likes of Tyler Chatwood and Ross Stripling.
| Date | Opp | IP | ER | H | K:BB | HR | GSc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 5 | CLE | 6 | 2 | 5 | 10:2 | 0 | 62 |
| April 11 | BAL | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8:2 | 1 | 43 |
| April 16 | TOR | 7 | 2 | 6 | 9:0 | 0 | 66 |
| April 21 | TBR | 3.2 | 8 | 8 | 5:2 | 2 | 16 |
Price remarked that Thursday's results actually belie how good he felt on the mound at Fenway - "the best I've felt in my four starts here" - but, truthfully, something has just been off about the 30-year-old since Opening Day. The numbers are just plain weird. Only two AL starters are striking out more batters than Price, and his walk rate is terrific, but he's also allowing a ton of hard contact - his 35.7 percent hard-hit rate is almost 10 percent higher than his career mark - and his velocity is at an all-time low.
Still, manager John Farrell knows Price typically struggles in the season's early stages - the left-hander owns a 4.14 ERA in April, easily the worst of any month - so he isn't panicking just yet.
"I think when you look at track records, they probably tell you what's going on," said Farrell. "I think with power pitchers, again, we've talked about the first month, it’s still a building phase of arm strength and overall command and we may just be seeing that."