Daniel Bard is struggling even worse than the Red Sox as a whole.
But teammates aren’t throwing the setup man — who blew yet another save in yesterday’s 5-4 loss to Toronto — under the bus.
“Daniel’s been the hugest part of this bullpen, he and Pap,” captain Jason Varitek said. “He’s had a tough little stretch for the last few outings. We need Daniel. Daniel’s going to pitch well. Period.”
Bard has given up runs in four of his last five outings, and sports a hefty 17.36 ERA in September.
He blames a mechanical problem for the woes.
“The timing with my delivery is just not there,” he said. “I can feel it on every pitch. Something feels a little bit different.”
