Red Sox
They continue to lead MLB in ERA by a significant margin.
At first, it seemed like a fluke. Now, with a larger sample size, it seems like a strength.
After blanking the Chicago Cubs, 17-0, on Saturday, the Red Sox lowered their major league-best team ERA to 2.63. That’s their lowest collective ERA through 28 games since 1920, when the team posted a 2.52 ERA to that point.
The next closest in ERA this season is the Yankees at 3.01. For context, the Padres led baseball with a 3.73 ERA last year – a reminder that, yes, it’s still early.
When a fan pointed out that the Red Sox have committed the most errors in MLB, ESPN’s Buster Olney said he tends to think it’s not about the official scorers.
He noted that Boston is No. 2 in FIP (fielding independent pitching), No. 3 in lowest walk rate, and No. 5 in lowest home run rate allowed (among other stats).
Kutter Crawford is 1-1 with a 1.35 ERA, Tanner Houck is 3-2 with a 1.65 ERA, Garrett Whitlock is 1-0 with a 1.96 ERA, and Brayan Bello is 3-1 with a 3.04 ERA, to name a few standout starters. Boston’s starting pitchers lead MLB with a 2.11 ERA.
Justin Slaten (0.55 ERA), Brennan Bernardino (0.84), and Kenley Jansen (2.08) have also excelled out of the bullpen.
The Red Sox are tied for first in complete games with one and fifth in shutouts with five, and they’re fourth in WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) at 1.14.
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