Sports Final: What's Wrong With David Price?
BOSTON (CBS) -- What the heck is going on with David Price?
Brought in to be Boston's ace, Price has struggled out of the gate. He may be 4-1 on the season, but his ERA skyrocketed to 6.75 after he allowed six earned runs in just 4.2 innings in an 8-2 loss to the Yankees on Saturday.
Price said after the game there is something off with his mechanics, and second baseman Dustin Pedroia pointed out an issue with Price's hands and leg lift following Saturday's outing. Price sounds confident that it's a simple fix and he'll be back to his old self sooner rather than later, but Tony Massarotti isn't convinced.
"I think it's garbage," Mazz told Steve Burton on Sunday night's Sports Final on WBZ-TV. "All of a sudden his hands aren't high enough, and that's going to add three miles per hour to his fastball by moving his hands up?
"I'll take any edge he can get, because right now he stinks. He stinks," continued Mazz. "What I get irritated about is, how are you supposed to look at this in any way but a guy gets a seven-year, $217 million contract and now he comes out and stinks? Is that all he was, pitching to get a contract?
"I don't care if your arms are too high or too low, if your kick is too low or you're kicking sideways. If you have to throw the ball with your feet -- get someone out. Get someone out," Mazz urged. "I've heard this with pitchers a million times, 'It's a mechanical thing.' I don't care what it is. If you can't get the two or three miles per hour on your fastball back, spot [the ball] better. Rick Porcello isn't throwing 95 and is pitching well. Steven Wright is throwing a knuckleball and he's getting people out. Whatever it is with David Price, I don't care. Get people out."
Boston's $217 million man has been anything but an ace, with Mazz calling him the worst starter in the Boston rotation.
"Price was brought in to stabilize everything and now he's making it worse," said Mazz. "To me, there is way too much talking and way too much thinking going on there. Clam up and get someone out."
Mazz and Burton began the segment arguing about balls and strikes in Friday night's 3-2 Boston loss. Check out that clip here:
Tune in to Sports Final and Sports Final OT every Sunday night at 11:35 p.m. on WBZ-TV!
