DENVER — Fix it and show it.
That’s Dylan Cease’s mindset for his final starts of the 2023 season, which has been fine but nothing like 2022, when he finished second in American League Cy Young voting.
Cease, who takes a 4.32 ERA into his major-league-high 27th start of the season against the Rockies on Sunday, believes he and pitching coach Ethan Katz have homed in on some mechanical adjustments that can get him closer to the form of 2022 that helped him put up a 2.20 ERA.
“I think I have,” Cease said. “Seven more starts to see.”
Cease knows he needs to command his top-tier stuff, lower his pitch counts and go deeper in games.
“In the last two, I’ve had a better feel in general,’’ he said. ‘‘I just have to perform and show it.’’
Cease walked a whopping seven Yankees but allowed one hit and no runs in 5„ innings Aug. 6 and pitched seven innings of two-run ball with two walks and five hits allowed against the Brewers last Sunday.
“It was basically staying closed with my upper half and my lower half,” he said. “Just syncing it up and staying closed on the mound.”
Cease’s four-seam fastball velocity is showing at 95-96 mph compared to 96-97 last season, and his spin rates are similar.
“The biggest thing is, when you’re not closed, they see it a little bit easier,” he said, “and you create a little less power.”
The Sox (48-75) fell 27 games below .500 Saturday after an 11-5 loss to the Rockies (48-75), who clobbered them 14-1 the previous night. Cease is the least of the Sox’ concerns heading into next season, but he knows he could have been better in 2023.
“I still think this year has been decent, and there’s seven starts to salvage even more,” he said. “Having a good year like [2022] shows you what your ceiling is, and a year like this [shows] that you have to keep battling, keep going through it. Ultimately in years like this, you find out more about yourself. And it builds up more character for the long run.”
Scholtens struggles
Jesse Scholtens had his worst outing, walking five batters, allowing five hits and putting the Sox in a 5-1 hole. Scholtens, who had a 2.88 ERA in his last eight appearances (three starts), needed 86 pitches to complete three innings.
Luis Robert Jr. hit his 33rd home run, and Elvis Andrus stole home on Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland’s throw to first in the first inning, his eighth career steal of home.
In both games against a beatable team, the Sox weren’t really in it.
“There is energy; at times we lose it,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “Then we get it back. It comes and goes in a game, and that’s unacceptable. We have to bring it every inning. But we have to pitch better.”
Sosa comes through
Rookie Lenyn Sosa is getting a look-see at second base with Tim Anderson out serving a suspension. A night after driving two balls for deep outs, he drove in Carlos Perez (single) and Oscar Colas (double) with a single in the fifth inning.
Sosa said he’s trying to stay relaxed at the plate.
“I know what I can do,” he said. “And it’s just a matter of me bringing all that together and displaying it here.”
