Red Sox Designate Pitcher Hours After He Closed Out Win Over Mets

Danny Coulombe helped the Red Sox finish off the Mets on Saturday. A few hours later, he was out of a job.

The left-handed reliever was designated for assignment after Boston’s 4-0 win at Citi Field, a move that seemed to come out of nowhere. Coulombe threw the final two innings, walking three guys but not giving up a hit. He shook hands with his teammates and then got the news.

It’s been that kind of season for Coulombe. The 34-year-old appeared in 30 games for Boston, going 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA across 24 innings. The strikeouts were low — just 10 — and the walks were high at 18. That ratio is probably what did him in.

The Red Sox now have seven days to trade him or cut him loose entirely. It’s not a great spot for Coulombe, but somebody might take a flier on a lefty with his track record. We’ll see.

Boston’s pitching staff is on a heater

Meanwhile, the Red Sox are rolling. That eight-game road winning streak is real, and they’ve done it largely on the back of their arms. Saturday’s shutout was a team effort — five pitchers combined to hold the Mets scoreless. Eduardo Rivera got the spot start after coming up from Worcester, went 3.2 innings and gave up just one hit. That’ll work.

Andruw Monasterio and Masataka Yoshida both went deep with two-run homers to provide the offense. That was plenty.

Over the last two games against New York, Boston’s staff has allowed exactly two runs total. And before that, they held the Chicago White Sox — a lineup that can rake — to just two runs across a three-game sweep. This isn’t a fluke against bad teams. The White Sox are legit.

Sunday’s sweep chance

Boston can finish the sweep Sunday afternoon. They’ll send hard-throwing righty Payton Tolle to the mound against Mets right-hander Zach Thornton. Tolle’s stuff has been electric lately, so this could get interesting.

For the Mets, it’s about trying to stop the bleeding before the break. For the Red Sox, it’s about keeping this thing going. A sweep here and they head into the All-Star break with serious momentum. That’s a lot better than where they were a couple weeks ago.

Coulombe will pack his stuff and wait. That’s the business side of this game, and it never gets easier.