Sox pitching coach Bush looking for better days ahead

BOSTON — Dave Bush knows what the numbers say.

The Red Sox pitching coach presides over a staff that could wind up the worst in club history. Boston’s ERA of 6.04 was the highest in baseball entering Tuesday night’s matchup with Atlanta at Fenway Park.

Eleven different starters have taken the mound for the Red Sox this season. Just three of them — Nathan Eovaldi, Martin Perez and Zack Godley — have recorded an out in the fifth inning. Boston [...]

BOSTON — Dave Bush knows what the numbers say.

The Red Sox pitching coach presides over a staff that could wind up the worst in club history. Boston’s ERA of 6.04 was the highest in baseball entering Tuesday night’s matchup with Atlanta at Fenway Park.

Eleven different starters have taken the mound for the Red Sox this season. Just three of them — Nathan Eovaldi, Martin Perez and Zack Godley — have recorded an out in the fifth inning. Boston was 12-23 through 35 games, and several of those defeats were sealed early on.

"It’s been tough on the field," Bush said. "The results aren’t there. It’s been frustrating for all of us involved. We all want to win. That’s why we’re here.

"It’s a competitive game and it’s a lot more fun when you win — for players and coaches and staff and everybody. We’re working toward that in the future. We’re working toward winning more games. There are some bumps along the way, but there is progress being made."

Bush is in his fifth year with the Red Sox organization and his first in place of Dana LeVangie, who was reassigned during the offseason. Bush was the club’s pitching development analyst from 2016-18 and spent 2019 as the pitching coordinator for performance. He inherited a starting rotation with just one returning regular, and Eovaldi (right calf strain) is on the injured list for the fifth time in as many seasons.

"Pretty difficult year to really assess what a guy does," Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said. "There are so many things that have come up this year. Just me personally, looking at what he’s done as a first-year coach and having to deal with the things he’s dealt with, he is really doing a good job."

Boston’s starters have posted a 6.98 ERA and covered just 136 2/3 innings. David Price (traded to the Dodgers), Rick Porcello (free agency to the Mets), Chris Sale (left elbow) and Eduardo Rodriguez (heart) haven’t thrown a pitch for the club after serving as mainstays in recent seasons. Kyle Hart spent last season at Triple-A Pawtucket, Colten Brewer had never started in 69 previous big-league appearances and Ryan Weber lost his rotation spot after just three outings.

"Some of these guys have been put in roles they’re not accustomed to, that are new to them," Bush said. "Some of them have handled it very, very well and some haven’t — that’s where we are this year with this group.

"It’s a lot of guys who don’t have a ton of big-league experience, so they’re still figuring out exactly where they fit in the game and the things they can do well to succeed at this level. There’s some trial and error involved, but there are definitely some things I’ve been happy with."

Bush spent nine years in the big leagues, from 2004-13 as a right-hander with the Blue Jays, Brewers and Rangers. He worked one final season back in Toronto before taking on various coaching roles for MLB International. Attempting to serve as a hands-on instructor in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t been ideal.

"We’ve had to be a little more creative this year," Bush said. "Sometimes it takes a little longer than I want it to.

"Overall, the interactions are still the same. It’s still personal. It’s still getting to know a guy. It’s still developing a relationship and trust so that pitchers know when I suggest something it’s because I truly think it’s going to make them better."

Perez would be a serviceable starter at the end of the rotation. His 4.58 ERA was bloated by a pair of starts in which he allowed 10 earned runs in just nine innings. Ryan Brasier has turned in seven straight scoreless appearances and Phillips Valdez has allowed just two earned runs in 21 innings out of the bullpen.

"We have guys who have performed well," Bush said. "We have guys who have exceeded our expectations and I see several of them as being part of the club in the future. A little bit too early to tell — we’re still just a little bit past halfway.

"There are still enough games left for guys to show us what they can do. That’s part of what this year has become — a chance for all the guys to get innings and be on the mound and show what they can do."

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @BillKoch25