Red Sox’ starting rotation is beginning to provide the stability that was expected, just not in the way it was expected

For the Red Sox in recent weeks, the performance of the rotation has started to match preseason expectations — even if its composition has not.

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The much-ballyhooed starting staff has been upended by injuries, with Sonny Gray (hamstring) and Garrett Crochet (shoulder) spending time on the injured list, Ranger Suarez (hamstring) having his start over the weekend postponed, and depth option Johan Oviedo (elbow) landing on the 60-day IL. Though Brayan Bello has been healthy, his struggles prompted an audible last week, with an opener employed in front of him.

Often, that array of issues is a precursor to disaster. Yet even with the Sox having to dip deep into depth, over the last 14 games, they are 8-6, remaining within reach of the crowded (and mediocre) field of American League wild-card contenders.

The foundation of the team’s improved recent performance? A steadying rotation that has posted a 2.99 ERA, tied for fourth-best in baseball in that time.

Such a run would have been unsurprising with the season-opening rotation. But from May 1-5, the Sox rolled through a full turn of rookie lefthander Jake Bennett, rookie lefthander Connelly Early, lefthander Suarez (who left injured after four innings), rookie lefthander Payton Tolle, and lefthander Jovani Morán.

Those five straight starts by lefties, according to Elias, marked a first by the Sox since July 14-22, 2018, and underscored that their starters have been strikingly young and strikingly lefthanded this year, in ways unmatched by other teams.

Start with youth. The Sox have had 14 games started by rookies Early (8), Tolle (4), and Bennett (2), more than any other team.

For young pitchers in the big leagues, there’s often a bumpy transition. Interim manager Chad Tracy, who helmed Triple-A Worcester from 2022 until being summoned last month to the big leagues, is very aware that there are unpredictable aspects to those early opportunities.

“I don’t necessarily think, when those [call-ups] happened, that it was like, ‘No problem, we’ll be good,’ ” said Tracy. “You never know. I always [said] this when guys [came] up, when I was [managing Triple-A], ‘He’s been great. How is [he] going to respond up there? I don’t know.’ It’s a different animal. There’s more people in the stands. There’s way more stakes on it.”

But Early, Tolle, and Bennett have been solid to excellent while giving their team a chance. They’ve averaged 5⅓ innings per start with a 3.25 ERA, 9 percent walk rate, and 23 percent strikeout rate.

In general, the Sox rookies have managed to avoid the derailment outings that would blow up a bullpen for days. In so doing, they’ve added to the evidence of a pitching pipeline that has experienced vast improvements in recent years.

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In 2023-24, the Sox did not have a single start by a homegrown rookie. Now, draftees Early (2023) and Tolle (′24) as well Bennett (acquired for righthander Luis Perales this past offseason) have given the Sox pitching options that have helped them avoid collapse.

“We didn’t have these type of internal answers [in the minor leagues in recent years], and that’s no knock on anybody,” said Tracy. “It speaks volumes. They’ve been up to the task. Watching them perform, what Connelly has done, what Tolle has done, what Jake did while he was here, they’ve been up to the task to help fill those gaps and keep us afloat.”

Meanwhile, the team’s lefthanded turn also has been noteworthy. Rays manager Kevin Cash expressed astonishment last Thursday, at the start of a scheduled four-game series at Fenway, that the Sox were slated to feature lefties in all four.

That represented an extreme, but not an anomaly. Of their 40 games, the Red Sox have featured a lefthanded starter in 28 — easily the most in the big leagues. Just one other team (the Royals, with 23 starts) has had more than half of its games started by lefties.

The Sox are on pace to have 113 games started by lefties — a number that would blow past the franchise record of 106, set in 1951. (Amazingly, those numbers aren’t close to the all-time record of 127 by the 1983 Yankees.)

“It’s not a normal thing,” acknowledged Tracy.

Is there an advantage to such a deployment? On the whole, the league fares better against righties (.242/.321/.394) than lefties (.237/.318/.377), though that pattern is less important than the individual lefties who comprise a rotation and the individual teams that face them.

Meanwhile, the return of Gray has reintroduced a measure of balance to the rotation, and Bello — though behind an opener — is still expected to be one of the top innings providers on the staff.

Nonetheless, the Sox seem comfortable with the idea of a left-leaning staff.

“It doesn’t matter as much if they’re all really good,” said Tracy. “I suppose you can run into some certain lineups that are righty-heavy that really hit lefties, but in general, when we’re fully healthy, one of those [lefties] is [Crochet]. One of those is [Suarez]. Most of the time, you’re not worried about [being too lefthanded].

“We have lefthanders that have the arsenals to get righties out or lefties. Yes, it’s different. But these guys have really good stuff.”

The Sox’ ability to remain competitive depends largely on how well that characterization holds up.

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