Three weeks in the past, the Boston Purple Sox addressed two of their greatest wants on the MLB Commerce Deadline. They acquired left-handed reliever Steven Matz from the St. Louis Cardinals and right-handed starter Dustin Might from the Los Angeles Dodgers, including some much-needed depth to their bullpen and rotation for the stretch run with out giving up any Main League expertise in return.
Whereas some initially seen the strikes as disappointing on condition that the Purple Sox had been closely pursuing Joe Ryan, each strikes have labored out nice to date. Each pitchers are off to sturdy begins with their new staff regardless of becoming a member of Boston in the course of a playoff race.
After battling the Dodgers (6-7, 4.85 ERA, -0.3 WAR), Might has pitched a lot better for the Purple Sox, who’ve inspired him to use his cutter extra and carry again his changeup. These changes have paid big dividends for Might, who has a 2.87 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings over his first three begins for Boston.
In the meantime, Matz has been terrific out of the bullpen, posting a 1.42 ERA and a 0.63 WHIP in six appearances for the Purple Sox. Their bullpen has struggled a bit these days, so Matz has supplied a pleasant increase.
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Collectively, they’ve helped their new staff keep in rivalry throughout a troublesome August schedule. For the reason that commerce deadline, Boston is 9-7 with a plus-23 run differential, surging into second place within the AL East.
Might’s resurgence is especially thrilling given his postseason expertise as a two-time World Sequence champion. If the Purple Sox have actually unlocked one thing with him, he may very well be a useful weapon for them in October.
Given Craig Breslow’s pitching background, it’s not stunning that he recognized two high quality arms so as to add on the deadline. Whereas neither has the star energy of Ryan, they’re proving to be great additions in their very own proper.
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