Why Connor Seabold's second Red Sox start (which included 21 whiffs) was better than the ugly stat line suggests

Original source (on modern site) | Article images: [1]

TORONTO -- Connor Seabold's second career major league start was a fascinating one. The results -- seven runs on nine hits (including three home runs) in a 7-2 loss to the Blue Jays -- were discouraging. But the underlying numbers showed why the Red Sox think Seabold might have a future in the big leagues.

Facing one of the most potent lineups in baseball, Seabold induced 21 swings-and-misses, the most by any Red Sox pitcher so far in 2022. He struck out seven batters in 4 ⅔ innings, and using a changeup that he described as more effective than it has been all season, made some of baseball's best offensive players look silly at times throughout the night. Of course, that mattered little in the grand scheme of an outing during which multiple Jays hitters hit rockets, including homers by George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Matt Chapman, en route to a win that snapped Boston's seven-game winning streak.

Still, the fact that Seabold had consistent swing-and-miss stuff throughout his outing showed that he might not be far off from being a valuable major league contributor.

"That's a lot, right?" manager Alex Cora said when asked about the 21 whiffs. "The fastball has some life up there and there's some good hitters on that team. To be able to do that against them, he's a good one. It just happened that it was the first one this year against a tough time. It's a guy we really like."

Seabold featured a three-pitch mix that included a fastball that averaged 92.1 mph, the changeup that led to seven whiffs and a slider that Seabold described as "MIA" on Monday night. He avoided larger trouble after allowing an early run in the first, then found it in the third when three straight Jays batters (including Springer and Guerrero, who homered) hit balls harder than 106.5 mph off of him. Chapman's two-run blast in the fifth made it 7-0 and chased Seabold from the game.

"I made too many mistakes," Seabold said. "First few innings, I was able to limit it for the most part. Left it over the plate, two strikes to Vlad. Gave Springer a first-pitch cookie. But I was able to keep it toned down for the most part. Fifth inning, I was out of gas and started making more mistakes. They started capitalizing on it."

Seabold thought his second crack at the majors went better than the first, a three-inning spot start against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field last Sept. 11.

"I thought my stuff was a lot better," he said. "I thought my fastball had a lot more life than it did last year. I think all my pitches had more life. It's just a different team, different time of the year and I ran into a buzzsaw."

For Seabold, who has dominated Triple-A (he has a 2.09 ERA in 11 starts for the WooSox) this season, Monday's outing served as a sort of wake-up call.

"You go through a Triple-A lineup, there's maybe three or four guys who could legitimately play in the big leagues. There aren't many holes in (Toronto's) lineup," Seabold said. "That's the reality of any major league team. I've got to adapt to that, hope I get more opportunities and make the most of them."

Seabold's stay in the majors appears likely to be a short one. After using four different relievers Monday, the Red Sox will probably activate reliever Silvino Bracho from the taxi squad and option Seabold back to Worcester. But that doesn't mean we've seen the last of him in the majors. Seabold, along with Josh Winckowski and Kutter Crawford (who have also made starts this summer) and other tantalizing pitching prospects like Brayan Bello, Bryan Mata and Brandon Walter, might help the Red Sox down the stretch.

"We've been able to do our thing with a lot of guys down just like other teams have done it," Cora said. "We're comfortable with these kids coming up and pitching."

Related links:

Boston Red Sox's winning streak snapped in 7-2 loss to Blue Jays; Connor Seabold tagged for 3 home runs in season debut

Boston Red Sox roster moves: Connor Seabold, Yolmer Sánchez called up to replace Tanner Houck, Jarren Duran (unvaccinated) in Toronto

Red Sox injury updates: Chris Sale still on track for Thursday in Portland, Garrett Whitlock throws; Nate Eovaldi's first bullpen scheduled

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.