BOSTON -- Four days until Game 1 of the Division Series against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field; five questions facing the Boston Red Sox:
1. How much does David Ortiz have left to give?
Sounds crazy, after witnessing the greatest farewell in baseball history, that anyone would dare doubt Big Papi ever again. But Ortiz went 3-for-20 with three walks and six strikeouts in his last six regular-season games, and by his own admission, an emotional week in New York and Boston left him feeling "exhausted."
It's at least worth wondering, then, whether the iconic 40-year-old slugger emptied the tank to reach this point.
In a strange way, the postseason represents a return to normalcy for Ortiz, who no longer has to ride the emotional tidal wave of reliving every moment of his career through the presence of former teammates, mayors, governors, even the president of the Dominican Republic.
From now on, for a period of no longer than four weeks, it will be just about baseball for Ortiz for one last time.
"This past week caught up to me," Ortiz said Sunday. "Besides everything, the great whole week that I had, I'm so happy that it's over so I can focus on what's coming up next: the playoffs. It's good that everything is already done, so now we can go back to normal and I can go back to my routines and try my best once the playoffs kick in."
2. Can closer Craig Kimbrel be trusted?
Facing Kimbrel was a walk in the park during the final week of the season. Actually, it was lots of walks in Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park. Kimbrel walked six of the final 13 batters he faced in the regular season, four of which wound up scoring.
Red Sox manager John Farrell and pitching coach Carl Willis believe Kimbrel's problem stems from a mechanical glitch in which he's over-rotating and therefore missing his spots. Willis insists it's an easy fix, even with the playoffs approaching.
It had better be because the Red Sox don't have many alternatives in the ninth inning. They could turn to erstwhile closer Koji Uehara, a hero of the 2013 postseason, but given his age (41) and the fact he's coming off a two-month absence with a strained right pectoral muscle, Farrell has stressed the importance of not overloading him.
And so, it comes down to this for Kimbrel: "More consistent strike-throwing, as he's demonstrated a lot this year," Farrell said. "We need to get back to that."
3. Will this be the year David Price finally shines in October?
Years from now, the numbers -- 3.99 ERA, 228 strikeouts, 50 walks in 230 innings -- won't do justice to the arduousness of David Price's first season in Boston. But if Price pitches well in the playoffs, the numbers won't be remembered at all.
Price's first truly meaningful start for the Red Sox was always going to be his first postseason start. It will come Friday in Game 2 of the division series in Cleveland, where he will oppose Indians ace Corey Kluber in an Opening Day rematch.
"I feel good. I feel strong," Price said. "Body feels good. I'm good mentally. I'm ready to take the next step."
Price has said that before, of course, and he's 0-7 with a 5.28 ERA in eight career postseason starts, not that he would be the first accomplished pitcher to struggle in the postseason before ultimately turning it around.
"It's hard to believe that when Justin Verlander first started he didn't perform very well in the postseason," said Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, alluding to the Detroit Tigers ace's 5.57 ERA through his first eight postseason starts before posting a 1.76 ERA in his last eight. "Part of it, he was so amped up at that time, he just had a little extra adrenaline flowing. And then, over time, even though that adrenaline was still flowing, he kept it more under control and then went on and dominated in the postseason. So, sometimes it's just a process for guys."
4. Did the Red Sox peak too soon?
The Red Sox pulled away from the Blue Jays and Orioles in the American League East by winning 11 games in a row from Sept. 15 to 25. But they limped to the finish line, dropping five of their last six games and relinquished home-field advantage to the Indians in the division series.
But the Sox also have thrived on the road, going 46-35 overall and weathering a second-half stretch in which they played 31 games away from Fenway Park in a span of 46 days. At one point in mid-August, the Sox played five games in four cities in about 99 hours and went 4-1.
"I feel like this team is very comfortable on the road," Price said. "We've played really good baseball on the road, especially the past month and a half, two months, and that's something we kind of relish."
5. Will Drew Pomeranz be part of the postseason bullpen?
It sure sounded like it Sunday after Pomeranz struck out lefty-hitting Blue Jays outfielder Michael Saunders to bail fellow reliever Brad Ziegler out of a two-on, two-out jam, then pitched a scoreless ninth.
"That was outstanding," Farrell said. "More velocity than maybe anticipated, a lot of strikes. That could be a little bit of a found-gold situation with him going to the bullpen."
Pomeranz was a reliever as recently as last season, and after far exceeding his busiest workload for a single season, returning to the bullpen as a long man or even a situational lefty is one way for him to contribute in the playoffs.
Look for Pomeranz to join Kimbrel, Uehara, right-handers Ziegler, Matt Barnes and Joe Kelly and lefty Robbie Ross Jr. in the division series bullpen. If Farrell decides to carry an eighth reliever, it likely would be lefty Fernando Abad.