Midseason Acquisitions Offer Encouraging Sign For Red Sox Bullpen

Most contenders are clamoring for bullpen help before MLB’s trade deadline. The Boston Red Sox may have already made their impact additions.

Two recent acquisitions shut the door in Sunday’s 6-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Jordan Hicks threw a one-two-three eighth inning, and Jorge Alcala retired the side for the final three outs at Wrigley Field. The duo each notched a strikeout and only needed a combined 25 pitches to tame one of MLB’s fiercest lineups.

The Red Sox can only hope Sunday foreshadows second-half breakouts for both hard-throwing newcomers.

Alcala relinquished 25 runs in 24 1/3 innings before the Minnesota Twins sent him to Boston for Andy Lugo. The gamble has paid instant dividends, as the right-hander has permitted one earned run in 13 appearances for the Red Sox.

While Alcala also allowed three unearned runs before the All-Star break, he recovered to work a pair of hitless innings against the Cubs. He’s looking more like the electric arm who posted a 3.24 ERA for Minnesota last season, and a 3.59 xERA suggests he could keep repairing a bloated 6.24 ERA down the stretch.

Hicks became the first of four players received in the Rafael Devers trade to join the Red Sox. His arrival hasn’t gone as smoothly, as the 28-year-old allowed four runs (two earned) in his first three outings with his new club.

Moving to the starting rotation didn’t pan out with the San Francisco Giants, but Hicks gets another chance to stick as a lethal late-inning reliever. He found his footing in the role when registering a 3.29 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings during the 2023 campaign.

Hicks got National League MVP candidate Pete-Crow Armstrong and All-Star snub Seiya Suzuki to each swing and miss twice during Sunday’s outing. He also reached 100 mph, a great sign for a fireballer whose heater averaged triple-digit velocities before leaving the bullpen.

Alcala’s fastball merely sat at 97-98 mph, and he garnered two whiffs and a game-ending lineout on a curveball that’s yielded a .237 weighted on-base average this season. He tabled an ineffective sinker and threw just one slider, which opponents are hitting .350 against.

Hicks and Alcala could develop into significant pieces of Boston’s bullpen puzzle, allowing Craig Breslow to focus on acquiring rotation help before the deadline.