Red Sox
Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman have both dominated the back end of Boston’s bullpen.
If the Red Sox are going to be playing baseball well into October, plenty of credit has to go to a stout bullpen.
Boston’s 4-3 comeback win over the Orioles on Monday was once again punctuated by another shutdown showing from closer Aroldis Chapman — who pitched a perfect inning to secure his 25th save in 27 total opportunities this season.
The free-agent pickup has been one of the top offseason additions in baseball this year, with the 37-year-old southpaw sporting a miniscule 1.06 ERA and 0.69 WHIP while striking out 71 batters over 51 innings of work.
As noted by MassLive’s Chris Smith, Chapman has not allowed a hit to the last 38 batters he’s faced, with his last hit allowed coming all the way back on July 23 against the Phillies.
In other words, Chapman has not relinquished a hit since the Patriots held their first official training-camp practice more than a month ago.
“Very efficient lately, which is awesome,” manager Alex Cora said of Chapman on Monday, per Smith. “He’s been great for us, pounding the strike zone, staying ready, being able to post. The communication has been outstanding from his end, just letting us know when he can go. He was going to go three in a row the other day. He was ready for that.”
Chapman’s dominance has helped Boston avoid the momentum-sapping, late-inning implosions that have hindered many playoff pushes over the years.
But, the lefty is not alone when it comes to Boston’s elite crop of relievers counted on during crunch time.
Chapman might have the ninth inning, but righty Garrett Whitlock is now starting to thrive as Boston’s primary set-up man in the eighth inning.
The 29-year-old reliever helped snuff out an Orioles rally in the eighth inning after coughing up a leadoff double to Gunner Henderson — striking out the side to strand Henderson in scoring position and pass the baton to Chapman in the final frame.
As the Red Sox try to punch their ticket to the playoffs, the emergence of Whitlock as an eighth-inning stalwart adds some much-needed clarity to Boston’s bullpen.
At one point, it looked as though Whitlock was going to be utilized more as a long-relief option.
Not only was Whitlock’s ceiling seemingly limited this summer after years of injuries and lackluster production as a converted starter, but Boston had several other late-inning arms to turn to in Justin Slaten and Liam Hendriks.
But, with both relievers hindered by injury, Whitlock has answered the call since getting shifted back into the role as a one-inning reliever.
Since having his role adjusted on June 28, Whitlock has allowed just two runs over his last 20.2 innings of work, while holding opponents to a .187 batting average.
As noted on his Baseball Savant page, Whitlock’s array of sliders, sinkers, and off-speed offerings have made him a devastating asset on the mound. He’s ranked in the 92nd percentile among pitchers this season in terms of chase rate.
According to Boston Sports Info on X, both Chapman and Whitlock have appeared in the same game 25 times this season. In those 25 games, they have allowed just one run over 46.2 innings of work — equating to a 0.20 ERA and a 20-5 record for the Red Sox.
The last time the Red Sox were playing October baseball in 2021, Whitlock stormed onto the scene as an elite set-up option out of the bullpen (1.96 ERA over 46 appearances).
With the stakes the same this fall, Whitlock appears to be reverting to his old ways.
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