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"THE FUTURE AIN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE"
Rick
Porcello beats his
old team and Verlander
July 24, 2015 ... Xander
Bogaerts may have given the Red Sox a 2-1 walkoff win in the 11th
inning, but the game reached that point largely thanks to a pitcher's
duel between two former teammates, Rick Porcello and Justin
Verlander.
Porcello had
one of his strongest starts of the season in his first game against his former
team, going seven innings and giving up just one run on five hits. He also
struck out six and didn't surrender a walk. Meanwhile, he said the motivation
was just to get Boston back in the win column after eight straight losses with
seven since the All-Star break.
Verlander,
who came in 0-3 with a 6.62 ERA, also shined with his longest outing of the
season, going eight innings and giving up one run on seven hits with no walks
and three strikeouts.
Verlander
and Porcello played together in Detroit from 2009 to 2014 before Porcello was
traded to Boston last December for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and right-handers
Alex Wilson and Gabe Speier. In April, Porcello and the Red Sox agreed to a
four-year, $82.5 million contract extension. But he's struggled this season.
Even after this outing, he has a 5.51 ERA and 5-10 record on the season.
Alex Avila,
Porcello's former catcher, went 1 for 3 against him Friday. He said it was a
little strange to face Porcello and that the two will talk at some point during
the weekend.
Porcello is
in the middle of his worst season since 2010, when he had a 4-8 record and 5.55
ERA on July 24. He finished that year 10-12 with a 4.92 ERA. |
