A midseason acquisition hasn’t paid dividends for the Boston Red Sox yet, but Alex Cora isn’t giving up hope.
Jordan Hicks’ struggles continued when he allowed two hits, a walk and a run in Saturday’s 10-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The hard-throwing relief pitcher, one of four players acquired from the San Francisco Giants for Rafael Devers, has a 6.38 ERA and 1.80 WHIP in 20 appearances with the Red Sox.
Cora backed Hicks amid those difficulties after Saturday’s game, per Tim Healey of the Boston Globe.
“I hate to say it, but we are close stuff-wise,” Cora said of Hicks. “(Andrew) McCutchen got a hit up the middle, the ball off the wall, a wild pitch. After that, he settled down and got people out. He’s here for a reason. We believe in the stuff. We just gotta keep working with him.”
Hicks has long wielded sky-high upside as a flamethrower who regularly touched 100 mph upon his arrival, but the right-hander has registered a 4.33 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in his major league career. Although he turned that gas into more whiffs with a 28.4 strikeout percentage in 2023, that career-high clip has dipped a full 10 points this season.
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The 28-year-old hasn’t tallied a strikeout in four straight appearances, allowing three walks and two runs during that span. Hicks hasn’t made an appearance without relinquishing a baserunner since July 20.
Hicks began the season in San Francisco’s starting rotation, so perhaps he needs more time to readjust himself to the bullpen. However, Cora and the Red Sox can’t offer unlimited patience down the stretch of a playoff push.