Ortiz: Aceves 'should be starting'

The Red Sox rotation has endured a dreadful September, a pattern that continued on Monday when rookie Kyle Weiland allowed six runs (five earned) in 4 2/3 innings as the Sox fell to the Orioles, 6-5, and saw their wild card lead dwindle to 1 1/2 games over the Rays.

The rough outing by Weiland (0-3, 7.99) was easily juxtaposed with an outstanding relief outing by Alfredo Aceves, who punched out four in three shutout innings that included an escape from a second-and-third, no-out situation. Aceves (9-2) now has a 2.74 ERA this year, and he has turned in seven scoreless relief appearances of at least three innings, most in the majors.

At a time when the Sox rotation has a 6.38 ERA through 18 games in September, DH David Ortiz embraced the idea of having Aceves join the rotation.

"To be honest with you, the way things are going, [Aceves] should be starting. Simple as that. Give it a shot," Ortiz said to a small group of reporters. "He’s got good stuff, man. You see how easy he gets hitters out. I think at one point, he might be a starter. I don’t know. It all depends on what our front office decides. He’s got good stuff, man. And we definitely need a guy who can come in and give us six or seven good innings. It seems like he’s capable of doing it. We’ll see."

Ortiz was asked whether there is enough time left in the season to have Aceves change roles.

"We still have like what 10 games? Nine games? You never know. It’s not going to be tomorrow. He threw (53) today. But he’s got electric stuff," said Ortiz. "And we’ve been saying that for a while, right?"

Aceves did make four starts earlier in the year, going 1-1 with a 5.14 ERA. He is 8-1 with a 2.14 ERA as a reliever. Last week, Sox manager Terry Francona suggested that the team decided that it did not want to move Aceves to the rotation, feeling that his greatest impact -- at a time when the Sox bullpen is also struggling -- was as a reliever who could be used everyday.

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