David Price On Encouragement From Strong Start: 'I Was Never Discouraged'
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- You may think Red Sox starter David Price thinks too much about outside noise. You may think he reads all the Twitter trolls giving him a hard time or listens to all of Jim Murray's impressions of him on Felger & Mazz. And you may think the commotion that swirls around him after a bad start creeps too much into his head the next time he takes the mound.
But if you ask Price himself, he insists none of the nonsense has an effect on him. WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Jonny Miller asked No. 24 how "encouraged" he was after his latest gem on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays to lead the Red Sox into the All-Star break on a positive note.
"I was never discouraged," said Price. "I never lost confidence in my abilities and I know my coaching staff and my teammates didn't, either."
Price insisted he has a "short memory" when it comes to how he pitched in previous outings and that it's essential for pitchers to focus on the game at hand rather than past performance. Price also said he has a "good memory" when it comes to his opponents and "how they've hurt me," when referring to the Rays.
Whatever preparation Price had for the Rays clearly paid off: he hurled eight spectacular shutout innings, striking out ten and scattering four hits and one walk. Price retired 12 batters in a row between the third and sixth inning.
Manager John Farrell may have continued to induce eye-rolls with another predictably pedantic postgame presser, remarking how well Price was "driving a lot of pitches through the strike zone." But at least it was true this time; both Farrell and Price, at the very least, remain reasonably consistent with what they say after games.
Price had a 7.02 ERA in his previous three starts and spoke poorly of himself after them, but always insisted he will get better. He continually expressed his confidence in being better and remained consistent with his message about just focusing on the next start. It can be frustrating to hear after a rough day, but after a start like Sunday, it's refreshing and, yes, encouraging.
"Just keep going - whether you pitch well or pitch bad, just have a short memory," he said. "What I did today is not going to matter when I pitch my next start. ... So [I need to] have a short memory, keep working, and good things are going to happen."
Hopefully for the team's sake, Sunday's strong outing is just the start of a big second half for the Sox' $30 million de facto ace.
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.
