BOSTON -- After issuing a four-pitch walk to Atlanta Braves third baseman Daniel Castro with two outs in the top of the seventh inning on Wednesday night, Boston Red Sox right-hander Steven Wright received a visit from pitching coach Carl Willis.
Willis seemed to smirk as he approached and Wright shook his head in disgust. The knuckleballer then agreed with whatever his coach had to say, stepped back to the rubber and proceeded to end another outstanding effort in dramatic fashion, fanning the next man up on three pitches and jogging off triumphantly.
It was Wright’s season-high eighth strikeout and he lasted seven full innings for the first time in 2016. Just one of the two runs he allowed in the eventual 9-4 win was earned, dropping his ERA to 1.37, and Atlanta’s three hits against Wright came in a span of four batters in the second.
Aside from Castro’s walk, the only man to reach in the final four frames against Wright came after he fanned Erick Aybar in the fourth but the third strike rolled to the backstop, one of four passed balls on catcher Ryan Hanigan, who valiantly contended with the vicious knuckleball all night.
“He’s been doing great for us,” Hanigan said. “Chewing up innings, getting outs, real efficient, saving our pen, just the whole deal. For him to throw a knuckleball like that -- you see the swings these guys were taking. I mean, they might’ve hit one ball hard.
“It’s dancing, it’s nasty. He’s got it going. He’s got a good one.”
For his part, Wright gave credit to Hanigan for ignoring the passed balls and keeping his pitcher in rhythm. Wright was also appreciative of the defense behind him, which featured a spectacular diving catch by center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. for the second out of the game. Lastly, Wright emphasized the importance of his team’s early scoring (the Sox were up 6-1 after two innings) in helping him become comfortable.
It was a humbling display for a guy who didn’t really have a role heading into spring training. Or did he?
“This year, much like it was last year, go pitch and see what happens,” manager John Farrell said Wednesday when asked what the plan was for Wright this spring. “His performance was going to probably drive the decision where he ends up.”
Obviously, that performance has made Wright -- at least on paper -- the top starter for the Red Sox this season and a likely rotation fixture after lefty Eduardo Rodriguez returns from the disabled list and any other fluctuations take place down the road. It’s not as if Wright’s four quality starts to begin the year are all he has to show for his progression. He owns a 2.59 ERA in 14 starts with Boston since 2014 and is 4-2 with a 1.75 ERA over his past seven starts dating to last season.
The sample size is not so small anymore. That doesn’t change Wright’s approach one bit.
“My job is just to throw pitches,” said the 31-year-old, who has spent parts of nine seasons in the minors. “Whatever happens when Eddie comes back, I’ll be ready for it. I’m going to support the decision and I’m just going to go out and make every pitch count.”
Wright made the most of his 116 pitches Wednesday night, including strikes one, two and three to designated hitter Adonis Garcia, which ended the latest in a growing number of shutdown performances by Boston’s unlikely star pitcher.
