For much of last season, we heard about how atrocious the Red Sox bullpen was. I can’t necessarily argue against that sentiment but they also weren’t as bad as many would have you believe. When the rotation was in the gutter in the early part of the season it was the bullpen keeping Boston competitive.
They would see a steep decline in effectiveness during the middle portion of the season as their insane workloads began to have an impact. With guys like Marcus Walden, Brandon Workman, and Matt Barnes getting the call almost nightly, it’s no surprise that their arms would tire.