BOSTON — The Red Sox may be facing a fire drill when it comes to their pitching staff Saturday afternoon against the Astros.
With Nick Pivetta’s turn in the rotation skipped due to arm fatigue, righty Cooper Criswell was supposed to start the second game of a three-game set against Houston but he’s unavailable because he’s sick and on the COVID injured list. So the Red Sox will turn to righty Josh Winckowski, who last pitched Wednesday in Kansas City, throwing 39 pitches. Winckowski is not stretched out to go more than a couple innings as an opener, so expect a lot of different pitchers to be used in the game. Veteran righty Brad Keller, who has a 5.13 ERA in the majors and a 4.09 ERA with Worcester this season, could play a big role as a bulk reliever after Winckowski departs.
