Rick Porcello Shoots Down Cy Young Talk: 'Honestly, I Don't Care'
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Believe it or not, Red Sox starter Rick Porcello has pitched himself into the Cy Young conversation.
That's not to say Porcello should be considered close to a favorite in the race. He's no closer to winning the award than teammate Steven Wright, who has a better ERA and only one fewer win. But the righty has won his last six decisions to move to 12-2, leaving him on pace to finish with a 21-4 record.
Porcello has a chance to lead the American League in wins, which often plays a big role in deciding who wins the award. The last AL Cy Young winner to claim the award without leading the league in Ws was Felix Hernandez, who won just 13 games in 2011. Nora Princiotti of the Boston Globe noted Wednesday that Porcello joins Derek Lowe (2002), Curt Schilling (2004), and Josh Beckett (2007) as just the fourth Red Sox pitcher since 2000 to record 12 wins in as little as 91 games.
Porcello may not have an overwhelming case for the Cy Young, but he's certainly in the mix - just don't try to get him to talk about it. Speaking to WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Jonny Miller after Tuesday's victory over the San Francisco Giants, Porcello said team success is what's really on his mind when asked if he thinks he'll be in the conversation for the annual award given to the league's best pitcher.
"I have no idea and honestly, I don't care," said Porcello. "If we win the division, if we win the World Series, that's all that I care about. I'm sorry to shoot that question down, but that's not on the forefront of my mind."
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Porcello has dropped his ERA from 4.04 to 3.47 in his last seven starts dating back to June 7, going 5-0 with a 2.47 ERA in the process. If he can continue that pace for the rest of the season, he will certainly approach 20 wins and give himself a chance at the award. And if you care about Cy Youngs as much as Porcello does (which is zero), at least that would mean he'd given the Red Sox a good chance at winning the AL East.
There's no clear favorite this season in a wide-open AL Cy Young race, which probably prompted the question from Jonny Miller in the first place, but the leaders in the clubhouse appear to be White Sox ace Chris Sale (a league-leading 14 wins, 3.18 ERA, 129 strikeouts) Indians righty Danny Salazar (11 wins, a league-leading 2.75 ERA, 125 strikeouts). Porcello is "only" 15th in the league in ERA, but at his current rate, he could continue to climb the ranks before the end of the season.
Don't laugh. If Porcello can at finish the season with the most wins in the league, he will get some serious Cy Young votes.
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.
