Why Starting David Price at Home on Monday is the Right Decision

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There has been plenty of debate surrounding the decision to bump David Price's second start of the season from Sunday against the Blue Jays to the home opener on Monday against the Orioles - but rest assured, the Red Sox did their homework and have made the right decision. 

The decision was made last Thursday after that night's game against the Cleveland Indians was postponed due to inclement weather, and it didn't take long for people to start questioning the Red Sox' thought process.

There were many valid reasons to question the decision to bump Price up a day - the fact many people believe that Toronto is the best team in the division, Price's 11-1 record and 3.34 ERA at Rogers Center, or simply the fact the Red Sox stated at the beginning of the season they would attempt to keep the lefty pitching every fifth day even when an off day allows for extra rest.

However, a quick crunching of some numbers shows the Red Sox' decision makes a lot of sense.

Baltimore may not be everyone's favorite pick to win the division, but they are hardly a team to overlook with a lineup that includes Manny Machado, Chris Davis, Mark Trumbo and Matt Wieters. They are also just a single season removed from a division title and have historically always played the Red Sox tough (Boston is 24-33 against Baltimore since the start of 2013).

Add to that the fact that the Red Sox actually won the season series against the AL East Champion Blue Jays last season (10 games to 9) with one of the worst pitching staffs in all of baseball - starting Price at home seems to be the smarter decision.

After going just 43-38 at home last season, there is also plenty of reason that the Red Sox would want to get out to a quick start in Boston. In the three years since 2004 that the Red Sox have won the World Series, they have never posted less than 51 wins at home (55-26 in 2004, 51-30 in 2007 and 53-28 in 2013).

Starting Price on Monday also lines the lefty up favorably for the remainder of April and the month of May if the Red Sox choose to stick with their plan to start him every fifth day as opposed to every fifth game (barring any unforeseen circumstances).

On the every fifth day rotation, Price would be lined up to make his first start after the home opener next Saturday against the Blue Jays. He would then face the Tampa Bay Rays on April 21, the Atlanta Braves on April 26th before making back-to-back starts against the rival New York Yankees on May 1st and 6th. It would also line him up to pitch against the defending World Series Champion Royals in Kansas City on May 16th.

Despite the fact there were many valid reasons to start Price in Toronto this afternoon, a quick bit of research shows that the Red Sox absolutely made the correct decision. Now that the Red Sox have already won the series against the Blue Jays by taking the first two games, Red Sox fans can sit back and celebrate the first home start with their newly acquired ace pitcher.