Connelly Early gave Red Sox a chance to win despite high pitch count, lack of command

The Red Sox fell 3-2 to the Padres after closer Aroldis Chapman allowed San Diego’s winning run in the ninth inning, but starting pitcher Connelly Early largely did his job to keep Boston in Saturday’s game.

In his second start of the season, Early gave the Padres plenty of chances to blow the contest open. The 24-year-old left-hander struggled with his control on a chilly afternoon, allowing three hits and four walks through four innings of work.

Early chalked up his short and, at times shaky, start to the cold weather, but didn’t want to use it as an excuse.

“I struggled getting a grip on the ball a little bit,” Early said. “But I gotta do a better job with figuring out how to keep my hand warm and go out there and be able to execute from pitch one.”

Despite finding it difficult to execute pitches early on, Early held an incredibly talented Padres lineup to two runs in what ended up remaining a low-scoring game until the end.

Early allowed a second-inning RBI groundout from Padres center fielder Bryce Johnson to put Boston in a deficit, but Red Sox shortstop Marcelo Mayer quickly tied the game via sacrifice fly in the bottom of the frame.

San Diego catcher Freddy Fermin notched a RBI double in the third to put the Padres up 2-1, but it wasn’t an insurmountable situation for Boston.

Early’s four walks contributed to a high pitch count, which forced Red Sox manager Alex Cora to go to his bullpen in the fifth inning. Early tossed a whopping 80 pitches in his first three frames, but threw just eight in his final inning to finish strong.

Maybe Early got lucky and benefited from San Diego hitters similarly struggling to acclimate to the temperature. He might not have otherwise gotten away with his shaky mechanics, but he wasn’t the reason the Red Sox lost their sixth game of the season.

Nevertheless, Early took accountability despite earning a no-decision in his final stat line.

“Obviously it’s always good to limit [the damage], but it’s a tough one, bringing the bullpen out that early,” Early said. “After we get the momentum of the game yesterday with Sonny’s [Gray] start, so need to do a better job.”

It was less than ideal, given Boston’s lineup going quiet for much of the contest. Given that Saturday marked Early’s sixth career MLB start, though, his growing pains are manageable if that means allowing two runs on four walks and three hits.

Cora noted after the game that the chilly conditions indeed gave Early problems.

“I talked to him, he felt good,” Cora said of Early. “He felt like early in the game, he was – obviously with the conditions – felt a bit off. But then after that, no excuses. … He limited the damage, he did, but he took a lot.”

Saturday’s result didn’t go in the home team’s favor, but Early has plenty of things to feel good about individually. His 39 strikeouts through his first six career regular season games are tied for the most in Red Sox history with Daisuke Matsuzaka (2007).

Additionally, Early has allowed two earned runs or fewer in those first six starts. Not to mention, he has yet to allow a home run across his 28.2 innings in the majors.

Early gave fans a sneak peek into what he’s capable of when he was called up in September last season to help Boston in its postseason push. It feels inevitable that he’ll continue that trend as he settles into 2026.

Kaley Brown

Sports producer

Kaley Brown is a sports producer for Boston.com, where she covers the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.