Elias Or Buchholz: Who Should Be Red Sox No. 5 Starter?
BOSTON (CBS) -- Thanks to a slew of built-in off days, the Red Sox have made do with a four-man rotation since the beginning of the month.
But that run ends this week when Boston starts a 16 games in 16 days stretch, and manager John Farrell will have to fill in the blank at the end of his rotation.
That likely won't happen until Friday or Saturday during a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners, after the Sox wrap up a three-game set against the Baltimore Orioles (which gets underway Tuesday night).
"We're still working through some things as far as when we get to Seattle," Farrell said. "Whether or not we'll insert a righty or lefty is to be determined, and then we still have the ability to insert whatever day that could be. Could we give another guy a day rest, an additional day of rest, we have that as some flexibility."
Farrell hinted that lefty Roenis Elias could be in line to get a call up from Pawtucket for that fifth spot, but also said the final decision could be based on matchups and whether or not he wants to go with a righty or a lefty. No matter the case, he has some flexibility when it comes to making the decision.
The two likeliest candidates to assume the No. 5 role are Elias and Clay Buchholz, who was relegated to the bullpen after a poor and inconsistent start to the season. He's 1-1 in four games out of the bullpen, giving up three runs off four hits and six walks over 6.1 innings.
So Farrell's decision should be an easy one: Go with Elias.
The 27-year-old southpaw, acquired from the Mariners in the Carson Smith-Wade Miley swap during the winter, has spent the majority of his season in Pawtucket, making one appearance for Boston. Elias is 4-3 with a 3.54 ERA in 10 games for the PawSox (nine starts), allowing 61 hits and 24 earned runs over 61 innings of work. He's struck out 60 batters, but has also issued 27 walks so far this year.
But Elias is coming off two of his best outings of the year. He's allowed just one run over his last 16 innings, including a complete game, six-hitter on June 5 in which he struck out eight. His last time on the bump, Elias tossed seven shutout innings while striking out seven in a 5-1 win over Louisville last Friday night.
That No. 5 spot has been a game of musical chairs for Farrell and the Sox this season, with the likes of Joe Kelly (2-0, 8.46 ERA in six starts), Henry Owens (0-0, 5.11 ERA in three starts) and Sean O'Sullivan (1-0, 7.94 ERA in two spot starts) unable to lock down the spot before being sent to the minors. Like Buchholz, Kelly and Owens have both had their share of chances to claim a place at the back of the Boston rotation, and neither did anything to earn that job whenever they took the hill. And like Buchholz, the team's frustration grew too much with their efforts and they're now trying to figure things out somewhere other than the Sox' rotation.
While Elias has had a few lackluster outings in Pawtucket, he's been solid overall, making it to at least the seventh inning in five of his nine starts. Add in his 49 career starts at the Major League level, and he's the perfect candidate to fill Boston's hole in the rotation at the time.
Elias' first start in a Red Sox uniform could come against his former team either Friday or Saturday. It's a decision Farrell will sit on until he has to announce it, but it's a decision that shouldn't be too difficult for the manager to make.
