Red Sox’ David Price still playing the same disappointing tune

It’s getting old for Red Sox fans and it’s getting old for David Price.

Saturday night was another poor start for Price as he allowed five runs on 11 hits in just 5 2/3 innings against the Minnesota Twins, the worst team in the American League. Even though the bullpen gave up runs late, the Red Sox lost a game in which Price started and they scored nine runs.

Furthermore, Saturday was third game the Red Sox have lost this season when scoring at least seven runs for David Price.

“It’s been terrible. This is not fun. It’s just awful,” Price said.

Added Price: “Honestly I feel good. I feel healthy, I feel good out there on the mound, I feel confident. Just not making good pitches and that’s what it boils down to. You can feel bad out there and still go out there and execute pitchers and you’re going to get good results. But it doesn’t matter how good you feel if you don’t go out there and execute, and that’s when things happen.”

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Price is getting paid essentially $1 million per start and he hasn’t even come close to what he was expected to do when the Red Sox signed him this past offseason. His two starts of the second half were supposed to be wins, and instead they were losses. The Red Sox had a chance to sweep the Yankees last Sunday night and Price couldn’t deliver and Saturday the Red Sox had a chance to secure a winning series against the Twins and once again he couldn’t deliver.

A big long-term question has to be raised: If the Red Sox were in the one-game Wild Card game tonight, who would the starting pitcher be? Right now, it’s hard to imagine manager John Farrell would give Price the ball. Rick Porcello and Steven Wright have done more than Price has this year and deserve to get the ball more than Price.

This isn’t to say Price can’t turn things around and potentially be the Red Sox’ Game 1 playoff starter, but as of now he certainly isn’t. While his strikeout totals are there, going into Sunday he’s allowed the most hits in all of major league baseball. There’s nothing wrong with allowing hits, but that many isn’t acceptable for a so-called ace.

Every time Price takes to the mound there’s hope he can turn things around, but time and time again he doesn’t deliver and that needs to change and change sooner rather than later.