Dreaming up the Red Sox playoff pitching staff

The Red Sox are going to make the playoffs. That’s a guarantee. That’s great. That’s wonderful. We should be happy. We should be excited. We should be loving life (to an extent, because everyone has reasons to be mad about stuff too).

But yeah, it’s been a job well done by the Red Sox this year. Now that we know they will be in the playoffs this season though, one major question looms: who will they put on tat playoff roster? Why don’t we take a look at the pitching situation to help get this sorted out. Now, there’s still plenty of time between now and October, but it’s fun to speculate now. Here’s our take:

LOCKS

Chris Sale -- He has an ERA under 2.00 through 24 starts this season.

David Price -- 1.78 ERA in the second half. Buy into the hype.

Rick Porcello -- Consistent strike thrower. Nothing special but hey… he is OK.

Ryan Brasier -- Statistically, he’s been their best reliever in the second half (2.01 ERA).

Brandon Workman -- Statistically, he’s been their second best reliever in the second half (3.05 ERA).

Craig Kimbrel -- Hasn’t been fired as the team’s closer yet.

LIKELY

Nathan Eovaldi -- He could prove to be a worthwhile reliever over the next few weeks and his stats as a starter are solid (4.22 ERA).

Joe Kelly -- Other than Workman and Brasier, he’s the only Red Sox reliever with an ERA under 4.00 in the second half.

Steven Wright -- That knuckeball looks good in long relief.

POSSIBLE

Eduardo Rodriguez -- Health is key. He seems like the best lefty available as a No. 4 starter and possibly reliever.

Bobby Poyner -- Speaking of lefty relievers, his line this year ain’t bad (1.72 ERA in 14 games this season)

EH...

Brian Johnson, Hector Velazquez Tyler Thornburg Heath Hembree, Matt Barnes, and Drew Pomeranz. Who from that list stands out as someone who deserves to make the team? One of ‘em might. But there’s a lot who shouldn’t.