Garrett Crochet Suffers Worst Start of Career
Garrett Crochet projected as the best potential challenger to Tarik Skubal's grip on the AL Cy Young. After the game on Monday, he may not be. The Boston Red Sox starter suffered the worst loss of his career against the Minnesota Twins as the Red Sox continue to stumble badly out of the gate.
Garrett Crochet delivers unmatched clunker
Garrett Crochet is one of the best pitchers in baseball. The Minnesota Twins, though they're off to a solid start, are not exactly a big threat in baseball. Yet, on Monday night, they made Crochet look like a minor-league pitcher making his first career start.
Crochet didn't even make it out of the second inning, and he gave up 11 runs. 10 of those were earned, and he also gave up nine hits in 1.2 innings before the Red Sox mercifully put an end to his day. Similar to Paul Skenes on Opening Day, a prospective award-winner has suffered a career-worst defeat.
The Red Sox would go on to lose 13-6, failing to come back from a massive deficit in the second inning despite having their ace on the mound. It dropped Boston to 6-10 on the season. They remain last in the AL East despite being projected as one of the top contenders for the division title.
The day started with a flyout by Byron Buxton, but it unraveled from there. Austin Martin doubled after that. Luke Keaschall doubled him in, and the floodgates began to open. The Twins dropped four on Crochet in the first and seven in the second.
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Red Sox ace comments on struggles
No Red Sox pitcher has ever allowed 10 or more runs in less than two full innings of work. At least, that was true before Garrett Crochet took the mound on Monday night. Now, he stands alone in Boston history with a particularly dubious record. He hasn't exactly been dominant this year, as he has a 7.58 ERA now. Prior, it was a solid but unspectacular 3.12.
"My command, as a whole, has been spotty," Crochet said. "I've gotten away with it a little this early in the year, but tonight, they made me pay. It was weak contact, hard contact, walks, hit by pitch -- a little bit of everything."
Crochet's velocity was also down, which can sometimes be a sign of an injury. His velocity will be monitored closely, and he could end up on the Injured List if things persist. "I don't really have one thing to point to," the Red Sox ace said. "I feel like I had a good approach. It was all pitch types that I felt like they were absolutely smothering."
Alex Cora chimes in
In general, Garrett Crochet gives the Red Sox the best chance to win. He also generally gives them the best chance to remain in a game even if they're losing. That was not the case on Monday, and he had to be pulled once the game truly got out of hand, even if he'd only thrown 55 pitches in an abbreviated start.
"As a manager, it's hard to watch. It was kind of like, OK, when are we going to take him out, you know?" Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "At the same time, you still have to cover innings and keep the bullpen quote-unquote fresh, knowing that there's two more games in the series."
"I'm just going to flush it as best I can and move on to the next one," Crochet said. "They had a good approach." Perhaps most surprisingly and alarmingly, Crochet did not record a strikeout. That's his bread and butter (career 31.4% K Rate), but it was nowhere to be found on Monday.
