BOSTON – Red Sox rookie Connelly Early, who has been thriving as of late along with the rest of Boston’s rotation, departed Tuesday’s start against the Nationals after four innings with left elbow discomfort.
There were no visible signs that anything was amiss with Early, who held the Nats to three hits and no runs while walking two and striking out five. The Red Sox didn't announce the reason for his departure until the sixth inning.
Per Statcast, Early’s velocity was actually slightly above his season average on all five of his pitches.
With Early’s abbreviated outing, Boston’s impressive string of quality starts was snapped at 12, two shy of the club record set in 1988.
In 17 starts this season, Early is 7-5 with a 3.44 ERA. Over 91 2/3 innings, he has 34 walks and 93 strikeouts.