The Boston Red Sox pitching staff is getting absolutely hammered by injuries this season, I mean, Sonny Gray's the only original starter still standing. Yet, somehow, these guys keep grinding, working into the sixth inning or later pretty much every night and giving their team a shot. The latest arm to step into that battered rotation? Patrick Sandoval, and his first outing in two years against the White Sox last Thursday had some serious surprises.
Sandoval Steps Up and His Fastball Flashes
Sandoval's return to the mound was his first appearance in two whole years, and for a guy shaking off that kind of rust, he did alright. He threw 4.1 innings, giving up just one run on five hits, striking out five, and walking only one. That's a passing mark, especially considering the bullpen was able to take over for the final 14 outs to lock up the win. My biggest questions about Sandoval coming into this were his changeup shape and those walks that have plagued him his whole career, usually tied to a four-seam fastball that just doesn't miss bats and gets punished hard when it catches too much plate. But Thursday? He only walked one guy. And his four-seamer, which was his third most-used pitch at 25%, actually worked. Why? For starters, his fastball command was on point, keeping it mostly at the top of the zone. Sure, a couple leaked down and got hit, but the placement was largely great. The real head-turner, though, was the velocity. This dude was hitting 96 mph a few times! Extra velo is never a bad thing, but you gotta wonder if that was first-start-in-two-years adrenaline giving him that extra juice.Can Sandoval Keep This Energy Going?
Even with that surprising velocity and good location, the fastball only got one whiff on twelve swings. That's not exactly a bat-missing pitch, you know? If that velocity settles back down to a more expected 93 mph, then his location has to be absolutely perfect every time he throws it. Because of this, Sandoval's gonna need to figure out how to keep hitters off that four-seamer, and that means he's gotta be throwing strikes with his other pitches consistently. With the Red Sox rotation basically held together with duct tape and hope right now, Sandoval stepping up big would be massive. Can he maintain that fastball command? Will the velocity hold up? We're all watching to see if this was a legit step forward or just a lucky first outing. The Red Sox need him to be the real deal.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.