BOSTON -- In a perfect world, David Price has fixed the hiccup in his delivery pointed out to him by teammate Dustin Pedroia and is poised to begin pitching like the ace who merited a $217 million contract from the Boston Red Sox during the winter.

But it might not be so simple.

Although Price described his between-starts bullpen session Monday as "more normal, more natural" than his first seven starts of the season, he also said he believes the mechanical flaw in which his hands aren't moving in sync with his legs dates back to last year when he led the American League with a 2.45 ERA.

"It's something I had gotten away from, I think, last year," Price said Tuesday before the Red Sox resumed their three-game series against the Oakland Athletics at Fenway Park. "If you go back and watch the video last year, you're not going to see that. I had good success last year, but I didn't have that rhythm earlier on this year. It's definitely frustrating to know that it can be something small."

David Price has allowed at least five runs in four of his seven starts for the Red Sox. Jason Miller/Getty Images

Assuming, of course, that's really all it is.

Price has allowed at least five runs in four of his seven starts for the Red Sox, including 12 runs in 11-2/3 innings over his last two starts against the New York Yankees. His 6.75 ERA ranks last among 56 American League pitchers with at least 30 innings pitched.

By all accounts, Price isn't injured. But his average fastball velocity is down to 92 mph from his career average of 94.1 mph, according to the data at Fangraphs. Price believes it's a product of an out-of-whack delivery that has prevented him from getting the usual drive with his legs.

But if Price's delivery was off last season, it didn't impact his fastball, which averaged its usual 94.2 mph in 32 starts for the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays. Price finished the season strong, going 9-1 with a 2.30 ERA in 11 starts after being traded to Toronto, although he struggled in the postseason with a 6.17 ERA in four appearances (three starts).

Pedroia was watching video last weekend in New York when he spotted what he believed was a glitch in Price's mechanics. Price and pitching coach Carl Willis concurred and went to work Monday on correcting it. By the end of the bullpen session, Price said the adjustment felt so natural he was no longer thinking about it.

"I had more rhythm, you know, you playing catch," Price said. "Whenever you do something and it feels normal, it's easy to go out there and to do it time after time. I definitely felt it."

The real test, of course, won't come until Thursday night when Price faces the Houston Astros at Fenway Park. And even if Price looks more like himself, it will take more than one start to declare the ace is back to his old self.

"I'm not going to harp on these seven starts or my last start," Price said. "I'm going to go out there on Thursday and be ready to get after the Astros. It's not going to weigh on me. I know things are going to turn around."