Rick Porcello first to 20 wins as breakout season continues for Red Sox

It’s a year later than they hoped, but Rick Porcello is definitely living up to the expectations the Boston Red Sox had after acquiring him from the Detroit Tigers.

Porcello, who was brought over in the blockbuster Yoenis Cespedes trade on Dec. 11, 2014, struggled in his first season in Boston, posting a 9-15 record and a troubling 4.92 ERA. That nearly left him on the outside looking in at Boston’s rotation this season, but he’s earned his spot with a breakout season that could ultimately net him a Cy Young award.

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In Boston’s 13-3 win against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night, Porcello became the first 20-game winner in MLB this season and the Red Sox first since Josh Beckett in 2007. He did so by limiting a dangerous Blue Jays offense to two runs on six hits and one walk over seven innings.

It was an outing indicative of Porcello’s performance all season. It wasn’t exactly a dominant outing, though he did manage to strike out seven. It was steady throughout and void of a chaotic inning, which had always seemed to be Porcello’s undoing. Now that he’s avoiding those big innings, he’s been able to work deep into games with remarkable consistency.

Here are two amazing facts that support the strides he’s made.

Pretty good stuff from a guy who entered the season with a career 4.39 ERA over 1,245 1/3 career innings. These numbers are what teams look for from their ace. The Red Sox didn’t have Porcello pegged as that by any means, especially after signing David Price this winter. He’s producing like an ace though, and it’s a big reason why Boston has opened a two-game lead in the AL East.

Of course, a lot has also been made of the run support Porcello has received this season. That trend certainly continued here. Now through 29 starts, Porcello has received a league-best 6.9 runs per start. But the fact is he’s allowed three runs or less in 23 of his starts, and considering Boston is now 22-7 in his outings , it’s clear he’s done his share of heavy-lifting too.

At this point, it’s safe to assume Boston’s offense will continue clicking. If Porcello continues throwing at this level, and David Price rounds completely into form, the Red Sox may be poised to run away and hide in September.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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