In his past four games, he has allowed 10 hits and seven runs over 3 2/3 innings. John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
TORONTO — Koji Uehara is proving to be human after all.
His success last season after he took over the closer’s role for the Red Sox was a major reason Boston won the World Series.
This year as the Red Sox continue to struggle and as they sit in last place in the American League East, recently Uehara has started to struggle also.
In his past four games, he has allowed 10 hits and seven runs over 3 2/3 innings.
He has blown saves in each of his past two appearances, including an epic five-run outing in which he allowed five ninth-inning runs in two-thirds of an inning in a 5-3 loss last Friday to the Seattle Mariners.
That meant he had allowed runs in three consecutive games for the first time in his career as a reliever.
He did not allow a run in Monday’s game but allowed all three of the runners he inherited from Clay Buchholz to score, two on a booming double by Edwin Encarnacion, the Blue Jays’ designated hitter.
Uehara got the win when the Red Sox scored in the 10th to beat Toronto 4-3.
He does not think the reason is fatigue. “I’m not making the pitches that I need to,” he said. “It’s nothing about fatigue. It’s about my split. All I can say is that I’m not finishing the pitches as I want to.”
“Maybe not as consistent finish to his stuff, whether it’s the life to his fastball or the depth to his split, more the later action to both pitches,” manager John Farrell said about a pitcher he has leaned upon heavily. “When he’s been on the plate, that’s when he hasn’t been able to get away with a pitch that’s been slightly mis-located.”
When asked if Uehara might be shut down. “Not at this point,” Farrell said. “I think what we’re being very conscious of is the frequency of the use. There’s nothing physical that is a restriction for him. We check in with him every day, he goes through his normal throwing program. I wouldn’t rule it out, but at this point, we haven’t considered shutting him down.”
Farrell admitted fatigue could be a factor. “I’m sure that’s part of it,” he said. “There’s no denying the number of appearances he’s had over a very extended year last year and the number of appearances this year. We try to give him ample rest between outings but he’s been in a little bit of a tough stretch of late.”
