NEW YORK — Alex Cora has said it before, but this time it seems like there’s no way around it.
Craig Kimbrel’s job is going to change.
Kimbrel will begin working out of relief earlier than the ninth inning as the Sox prepare for their closer to have an expanded role that could include multiple-inning appearances in October.
“We talked about it in the offseason and it hasn’t happened much during the regular season,” Cora said before the Red Sox' 10-1 loss to the Yankees last night.
Expanding Kimbrel’s role was one of the first things Cora discussed shortly after he took the manager’s job last fall.
The idea was that sometimes the most important moment in the game is in the seventh or eighth inning. Maybe the score is close, or the heart of the order is up, or there are runners in scoring position and the Red Sox would need their best pitcher.
But it rarely happened.
It took a month until Kimbrel made his first appearance in the eighth inning, when he got four outs and the save in a 4-3 win over the Rays on April 29. It didn’t work 10 days later, when Kimbrel came on with trouble in the eighth against the Yankees and blew the game by allowing a triple to Brett Gardner and homer to Aaron Judge.
The plan soon soured when Cora felt like it was unfair to Kimbrel, who got a late start on the season after missing nearly a month of spring training to be with his ill newborn daughter.
“Early in the season he was building up and then we didn’t have too many spots where that happened, if we’re looking at us having the lead and up three with heart of the order and the eighth inning,” Cora said. “People think it happens a lot, but it doesn’t, so we stayed with him in the ninth. But we’ve talked about it and hopefully we can do that a few days the rest of the season and he’ll be ready to go.”
Kimbrel pitched in the eighth just seven times all year, twice blowing the save in the process.
Now the Sox want to see how Kimbrel can handle longer appearances.
“There’s X amount of innings that we’re going to be using him the rest of the season,” Cora said. “It all depends obviously how the games go and all that we also talked about how to use him in different spots so he can get used to the fact of getting up early and coming in earlier in the game.
“Obviously we don’t have control of the game, hopefully we have leads in the eighth inning and he can come in earlier just to — I hate to say it’s a rehearsal but I think as far as routine and stuff like that, although he’s always ready after the fifth inning when he gets to the bullpen like for him to go out there and use him in different spots.”
Betts back
Mookie Betts returned to the lineup as the designated hitter last night after missing Tuesday’s game while recovering from left side tightness. Betts narrowly missed a grand slam that went foul in the ninth inning and finished 0-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts in the Sox’ 10-1 loss.
Eduardo Nunez returned to the field for the first time since reaggravating his knee injury last weekend and made a disastrous error at third base before departing with more soreness in the ninth inning. Cora said Nunez will not play tonight but shouldn’t be out long, though the Red Sox' search for a reliable third baseman surely will continue.
Stretching the rule
What were the umpires doing talking to David Price when he was trying to pitch in the second inning last night?
Price wanted to change from the windup to the stretch during the middle of an at-bat, and the umpires made it clear that wasn’t allowed, Cora said.
“So with man at third, you have to tell them if you’re going for the stretch or the windup,” Cora said. “You declare yourself, kind of. He was going from the windup at that point. He was going from the windup and kind of like halfway through the at-bat, he wanted to go from the stretch and no, that’s not allowed. He has to finish that hitter from whatever you declare. So he stayed with the windup.”
Sale starts tomorrow
Chris Sale will make two more starts this year, his next one coming tomorrow against the Indians with around 65 pitches, and his final one next Wednesday against the Orioles with around 80 pitches.
“If we play in the Division Series, then he’ll have an aggressive bullpen either Sunday, the last day of the season, or Monday and line him up for the Division Series,” Cora said.
Eduardo Rodriguez takes the mound today with a chance to gain some momentum against a team he could end up facing again the postseason.
Rodriguez has allowed five runs in two starts vs. the Yanks this year, and their current players are hitting a solid .276 with an .856 OPS against him in their careers.
The lefty has 23 strikeouts to just four walks in 15 innings since returning from the disabled list.