BOSTON -- Now that David Price has finally won a postseason start, the Red Sox are hoping he can deliver a second win -- or a third, if needed. On Monday, manager Alex Cora officially named the veteran left-hander his starter for Wednesday's Game 2 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Price entered this postseason with an 0-8 record in nine career postseason starts and his team had lost all nine games. In his first start against the Yankees in the American League Division Series, he lasted just five outs as New York hit two home runs off him.
His first outing against the Astros in the AL Championship Series was a little better as he pitched 4⅔ innings, but he still gave up four runs and walked away with a no-decision -- although his team won for the first time in one of his postseason starts.
Then came his great performance in the clinching Game 5. Pitching on three days' rest, he shut out the Astros on three hits over six innings, recording a career-high nine strikeouts for a playoff game.
Price kept the Astros off balance by using his changeup at a higher rate -- 43 percent of the time -- than he had used it in any game in his career, regular season or postseason. The changeup alone induced 12 swings-and-misses and the Red Sox held on for a 4-1 victory.
During the celebration in the Red Sox clubhouse, Price talked about how his pregame routine was a little different.
"The night before I pitch, I'm just envisioning myself making pitches," he said. "Last night, I envisioned myself doing this right here and going through my head what I was going to say."
Price appeared relaxed during Monday's media session at Fenway.
"You just have to continue to do whatever makes you you," he said. "[Game 1 starter] Chris Sale just has to go out there and be Chris Sale, and you can't get too caught up in what the other team does well."
After being hospitalized with a stomach ailment, Sale said Monday that he would have been ready for Game 6 against the Astros and has no innings limit for Game 1 of the World Series.
"As many as we need," he said of how many innings he could pitch. "There's no holding back now, I think. My job's been the same since the first day I got here. You hand me the ball when you want me to throw it, and take it out of my hand when you want me to stop. That's what I'm going with."
Sale had joked that he was hospitalized for an infection from a belly button ring. Cora played along on Monday when talking about Sale.
"He's doing OK. He's doing OK," he said. "Actually he's going to go out and throw a little bit more. He's ready to roll. I think all these off days are going to help him out physically and with his belly button ring, whatever."
The Dodgers, then, will face two left-handers to start the series.
The Dodgers hit right-handed pitching much better in the regular season, with a .796 OPS compared to .733 against lefties, one reason it made sense for Cora to go with Sale and Price in the first two games. Price was also much better at home in the regular season, with a 2.98 ERA at Fenway compared to 4.31 on the road (although he has allowed seven runs in six innings in those two starts at home in the postseason).
Cora declined to name his Game 3 and 4 starters, a sign that Nathan Eovaldi and Rick Porcello will be possible bullpen options for the first two games. Porcello has made two relief appearances in the postseason so far, both in the eighth inning, and Eovaldi got four outs in Game 5 against the Astros.
The Red Sox will also make a roster decision on Tuesday on reliever Steven Wright, who was pulled off the ALDS roster with a knee injury and had to miss the ALCS. The knuckleballer had become a key setup reliever for the Red Sox down the stretch and could also be a multi-inning weapon out of the pen.
Heath Hembree had replaced Wright on the roster, and he has pitched 3⅔ scoreless innings in the playoffs. That could leave Brandon Workman as the odd man out if Wright is activated.