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David Price Finally Gets A Clutch Win To Go Along With Ace-Like Performance

By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- David Price has pitched like the ace the Red Sox signed him to be for the past month-and-change. The problem is, a combination of poor run support and untimely hitting by the opposition has given Price just a 4-3 record in his past eight starts, despite a 2.47 ERA in that span.

Fortunately for Price, he delivered yet another ace-like performance on Sunday against the Seattle Mariners - and this time, with a one-run lead, he locked it down when he had to the most.

After Franklin Gutierrez's Pesky Pole home run that came after a questionable call that could have been strike three, Price looked on his way to another disappointing loss sparked by a single mistake. But once Mookie Betts put the Red Sox ahead 2-1 with his home run in the bottom of the seventh inning, Price took the mound in the eighth and did what a true ace does: shut down the opposition in the biggest moments.

I criticized Price for allowing an eighth-inning home run to rookie Mac Williamson to break a tie in San Francisco, and I still feel he deserved to be scrutinized for giving up such a crucial run in a pressure situation against an inferior, inexperienced player. Against the Mariners in the eighth at Fenway, Price did the opposite. He got rookie shortstop Ketel Marte to ground out, then got back-to-back strikeouts against more formidable foes in Gutierrez and surefire All-Star Robinson Cano, preserving the one-run lead for closer Craig Kimbrel.

That is what a true ace is supposed to do.

The win was Price's first since May 24 when he was solid (if unspectacular) against the Colorado Rockies in Denver and the Red Sox had staked him to a five-run lead by the seventh inning. But since that start, Price had gone through a somewhat agonizing three weeks of strong pitching performances that were partially undone by his own crucial mistakes. The Red Sox had needed Price to deliver the kind of performance he did on Sunday, locking down a slim lead when the moment called for him to blow hitters away.

Despite Price showing the ability to hold a one-run lead and dominate a game the way an ace is supposed to do, the question remains for Price's performance later in the season. Will he deliver the same kind of performance as Sunday's mid-June regular season matchup if the Red Sox get locked into a one-game playoff? Perhaps against those same Seattle Mariners?

Maybe Price will ultimately live up to his (somewhat undeserved) reputation of shrinking in big moments. Maybe we'll get another flapping duck speech. But he showed against the Mariners that it's possible for him to take control of a game when he really needs to make a big pitch or three. If only for one June afternoon, showed that he's capable of pitching like an ace in the most ace-needy moments.

Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.

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