Alfredo Aceves has not had a good year closing for the Red Sox. He's posted a 4.54 ERA and has eight blown saves; recently, he was under team suspension for remarks he made after Andrew Bailey was used to close a game instead of him.
Alfredo Aceves Apparently Out As Red Sox Closer
Alfredo Aceves’ days as Boston’s closer appear to be over. What’s next for the righthander?
Now, it appears that Aceves’ closing days are over, at least for the time being. Scott Lauber:
Consider what happened here Wednesday night. Less than 24 hours after Aceves had been given a chance to record the final six outs but instead blew his eighth save in 32 opportunities, the embattled right-hander entered in the seventh inning with the Red Sox trailing, 10-3, against the Angels. Aceves tossed two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out two batters in a situation that was as far as can be from the high-leverage spots typically reserved for a closer.
"I wish I can know," Aceves said when asked if his role has changed.
Said Valentine, "He can pitch a lot. We’ll try to keep pitching him as much as we can, stretch him out maybe."
“Stretch him out” could be code for trying him in the rotation again; Aceves started four games for the Red Sox in 2011. The rest of this year is likely going to see a lot of experimentation for the Red Sox, who are out of playoff contention.
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