Last season's Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello experienced a drastic decline this season, posting the worst stats of his career and leading the league in home runs allowed.
David Price returned from injury as a relief pitcher, but he's notorious for underperforming in the postseason, as everyone knows...
In the bullpen, aside from Kimbrel, the strongest closer, the effectiveness of other Red Sox relievers is lacking, which is also a potential problem."
After summarizing the Red Sox pitching staff, Aaron Boone began to analyze the hitters' performance:
"Following David Ortiz's retirement, the decline in Red Sox's offensive power was inevitable: Mookie Betts and Hanley Ramirez hit 13 fewer home runs combined compared to last year, significantly reducing the Red Sox's long-ball capability;
Fortunately, rookie Benintendi covered the gap with 20 home runs, and with Dustin Pedroia and Rafael Devers stabilizing the infield, the Red Sox managed to maintain their position.
