ARLINGTON, Texas — David Price adopted his current pitch mix ahead of capturing the 2012 American League Cy Young Award.


 


The slider Price threw in his first four seasons with Tampa Bay was replaced by a cut-fastball. The left-hander retained his fastball, changeup and curveball, dominating opposing lineups to the tune of just 7.4 hits allowed per nine innings.


 


One of those offerings has been noticeably absent over Price’s last [...]

Bill Koch

ARLINGTON, Texas — David Price adopted his current pitch mix ahead of capturing the 2012 American League Cy Young Award.

 

The slider Price threw in his first four seasons with Tampa Bay was replaced by a cut-fastball. The left-hander retained his fastball, changeup and curveball, dominating opposing lineups to the tune of just 7.4 hits allowed per nine innings.

 

One of those offerings has been noticeably absent over Price’s last two starts, and he’s suffered the consequences. Price didn’t throw a single curveball in Thursday night’s 11-5 loss to the Rangers, that on the heels of using the pitch only twice in a 12-6 defeat against Tampa Bay on Saturday.

 

Price and Red Sox manager Alex Cora both insist health isn’t a concern for the 32-year-old at the present time. Both said they would watch video of the start the following afternoon on Friday. Both expressed confidence Price’s next outing against the Yankees would be an improvement.

 

So what gives?

 

“It seems like there’s no separation in his pitches right now,” Cora said Thursday night. “If you’re a hitter, you look for something in the range of 90-91 (mph), pick a side of the plate and go from there. He has to make adjustments, obviously.”

 

“That could be the case,” Price said. “Guys were still out front. A couple of them were still off the end of the bat. Could be a couple miles per hour here or there and that could turn into that swing and miss.”

 

Price threw 60.6 percent fastballs in 2012, averaging 95.5 mph. His cutter checked in at 89.3 mph and the changeup came in at 84.4 mph. Price threw those three pitches 88.7 percent of the time, giving opposing hitters a spread of 11.1 mph to consider in the majority of their at-bats.

 

Compare that to Price’s seven starts this season. He’s throwing the fastball 50.6 percent of the time at 92.4 mph and the cutter a career-high 31.6 percent of the time at 88.2 mph. The changeup remains at 84.6 mph and is thrown 15.7 percent of the time.

 

The difference is a glaring one. Price presents a spread of just 7.8 mph on 98 percent of his pitches, throwing the curveball a career-low 2.0 percent of the time.

 

“The mix has to be better,” Cora said Friday. “Like I said, separation is important. We’re going to be working on it.”

 

Price’s average curveball this season comes in at 78.6 mph. That represents almost a 14 mph difference from the fastball, one that would be ideal to disrupt the timing of opposing hitters. But Price hasn’t necessarily found a feel for that pitch early – the last one he threw was slammed for a two-run homer to the Monster seats by Tampa Bay catcher Wilson Ramos on Saturday.

 

“Fastball, cutter, changeup – that was what I did really well,” Price said, referring to his first handful of starts this season. He blanked the Rays over two outings and 14 innings before lasting a single frame against New York, removed after feeling what he described as a “sensation” in his pitching hand. Price rebounded with a victory over the Angels and was strong into the eighth inning against the Athletics before Khris Davis burned him with the deciding three-run homer in a 4-1 defeat.

 

“That’s the difference,” Cora said. “Just to put guys away, he hasn’t been able to do it.”

 

“In my last two starts I have not commanded the baseball the way that I did in four out of those first five,” Price said. “That’s something that I take a lot of pride in doing, and I haven’t done that in my last couple.”

 

The Rays and Texas combined to pile up 12 earned runs against Price, and the nine runs (seven earned) he allowed against the Rangers on Thursday were the most he’s conceded in 58 appearances with Boston. Whether or not Price can find some additional velocity or the right blend over the season’s next five months remains to be seen, but there seems to be a missing ingredient at the moment.

 

-- bkoch@providencejournal.com

 

On Twitter: @BillKoch25