The always-interesting Alfredo Aceves spoke at length about being optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket.
PAWTUCKET, R.I. – Alfredo Aceves was barely 24 hours removed from his worst outing of the season when the call to enter Red Sox manager John Farrell’s office came.
There, Farrell broke the news that the 30-year-old right-hander had been optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket. The manager then outlined the reasons for the move to Aceves – pointing to a lack of consistency as a main factor in the decision.
Aceves then left his coach’s office and quietly collected his things.
“Pretty much I was by myself,” he almost whispered from a seat in front of his new locker at McCoy Stadium. “I didn’t see anybody in the club house. It was late that night when they tell me, so I grab my spikes and my glove, my bag and I leave.
Aceves then paused for a moment. “Yeah, and here we are man and here I am and I’m going to do good,” he said.
Asked if he was surprised about the move, Aceves responded, “No. For me, it was the worst-case scenario.”
In five appearances this season, Aceves compiled an 8.66 ERA. He pitched well in Cleveland two starts ago, lasting into the sixth inning before allowing a run. However, Tuesday’s start was as ugly as the weather that day.
Aceves lasted just three and 1/3 innings, with things going particularly awry in the third inning, where the right-hander committed two balks, was late covering first base, made a throwing error and walked three.
The inability to be a reliable member of the Red Sox staff, combined with the improving health of John Lackey eventually made the decision for the Red Sox.
"I think the bottom line is just that, the bottom line," Farrell said during Wednesday’s post-game press conference. "You've got to perform to continue to get opportunities."
Aceves is now scheduled to start for Pawtucket on Thursday.
“(Aceves is here) to just work on his consistency,” said PawSox manager Gary DiSarcina. “I think he’s probably been humbled a little bit.”
Asked what he intended to work on while with Pawtucket, Aceves responded:
“For me, the most important thing right now is to win,” he said. “Win every pitch, win every game. I try to help my team in any situation, to put us in good shape to win a ballgame. That’s all that matters. For me, I don’t care where I’m playing, honestly. I don’t care where I play. Where I care is the team I am on. I’m going to work not specifically on something. I’m trying to do the same things.”
It should be noted that Aceves’s first language is not English, and his quotes without proper context can be misleading at times.
Asked why he doesn’t care about where he plays, Aceves backed off his earlier comment.
“It sounds bad,” he said. “When you say it, it sounds bad…Obviously, I do. I care when I am with the team. I’m not going to go like, ‘I’m going to go with this team.’ It’s not like that. They’re going to pick you. It’s not in my hands.
“I’m not a good talker,” Aceves later said. “I’ve been saying that all the way. I’m not a good talker. I’m not a good talker. I will let my ball talk and the results with my team,” he continued. “What’s most important is to win.”