The Pirates' season-opening series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park looked for a while like it would be rather unpleasant. And you know what? It still might be. Boston remains on track to have Chris Sale, their big offseason acquisition, and Rick Porcello, the reigning American League Cy Young award winner, start the first two games.
But Red Sox manager John Farrell doesn't sound optimistic that David Price, their third big-name pitcher, will be over a nagging elbow injury by the time that three-game set comes around April 3-6. Via the Boston Herald:
"I think at this point, yeah, it'd be hard to see him ready to go at the start of the season," Farrell said. "You know, we really won't have any kind of idea until he gets on the mound the first time. And right now I don't know when that's gonna be."
NESN now projects that righty Eduardo Rodriguez, he of the 4.71 ERA and 40 walks in 20 starts last season, will slide into that third slot in the rotation. The Pirates may also see Steven Wright or Drew Pomeranz, but none of them figures to be as daunting as a healthy Price, who won the Cy Young in 2012 and is a five-time All-Star with a career 3.21 ERA.
