Garrett Crochet has been everything the Red Sox could have asked for when trading him from the White Sox this year. Just to offer a reliable starter for the Red Sox, the 26-year-old lefty dominated the mound with a 2.59 ERA, an 18–5 record, and an MLB-best 255 SOs in this regular season! And he is continuing that dominance in the postseason, too.

Notably, in Game 1 of the Wild Card matchup against the Yankees, Crochet gave up just one run over 7 2/3 innings while striking out 11. Naturally, that means he won’t be available for Game 3 after throwing on Tuesday. But when a trip to the ALDS is hanging in the balance, the usual rotation plans often get thrown out the window.

Asked if he’s ready to scrap the regular-season schedule, Red Sox manager Alex Cora’s answer made it clear this isn’t an exaggeration. “I can’t say. We’ll see, but probably not.” Cora teases around what could have been a risky gamble.

Let’s not overlook the fact that Crochet’s long outing in Game 1 gave the Red Sox bullpen a chance to recover. That is why Cora was able to use them early in Game 2. But turning around and pitching Crochet again with just one game of rest suggests Cora isn’t really looking ahead to the ALDS.

That matchup would likely be against the Blue Jays. And not having a weapon like Crochet ready for that series could really hurt. So if he goes tonight and the Sox do advance, they might be left short-handed in the ALDS. And that surely feels more like a reckless risk than a smart gamble.

However, the most talked about part of the Red Sox lineup for game 3 is Connelly Early as the starter. Now, this will be another determining factor for Cora to decide if Crochet needs to be fielded or not. The youngest pitcher to start a Red Sox game in the postseason since Babe Ruth would have a lot riding on him.

Time for the Red Sox’s bullpen of its biggest test

“We’ve seen weird stuff happen in this stadium before, so we’ll see.” Red Sox skipper said about playing a few more gambles in the bullpen.

Heading into a do-or-die Game 3 in the Bronx on Thursday night, the Red Sox will basically have their whole bullpen ready to go. During the regular season, that group put up a strong 3.41 ERA. Thus, making them one of the more reliable relief staffs in the league. However, Alex Cora has often been criticized for leaning on them too heavily.

And that trend hasn’t changed in October…

After using six relievers for 5 ⅔ innings in Wednesday’s 4-3 loss, the Red Sox bullpen might be a little worn down. But Cora still expects most of his arms to be in play for the series finale. For instance, Garrett Whitlock could be despite tossing a season-high 47 pitches on Wednesday. Cora hasn’t closed the door on using him.

In the end, Boston could have as many as 10 pitchers lined up behind rookie starter Connelly Early. Yet, that might have fallen short in front of NYY’s #31. Know what we mean!