Edelman Facing Four-Game Suspension

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The Patriots may have to start another season without one of Tom Brady’s go-to guys. According to league sources, Julian Edelman is facing a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s performance enhancing substance policy. Edelman has taken hundreds of drug tests in the past, and this is his first issue with the results.

If the suspension stands, Edelman will miss the first four weeks of the regular season. This means he will not take part in the Patriots’ season opener at Gillette against the Houston Texans, two away games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Detroit Lions, and a home game against the Miami Dolphins.

Edelman’s Impact

There is no doubt that Edelman is a difference maker for the Patriots offense, and the numbers show that his presence on the field will be missed. Brady’s touchdown to interception ratio is 5.9 with Edelman on the field, and 4.7 without him. Brady’s quarterback rating also takes a slight hit without Number 11 present, dropping from 79 to 65.

The results of the appeal are forthcoming, and there is no information about what drug caused Edelman to fail the test. It is rare to get a suspension like this overturned, but that does not mean it is impossible. Richard Sherman was successful in his appeal against a four-game suspension in 2012. If Edelman does not overturn the suspension, he is also looking at losing almost $500 thousand in addition to to the hit to his reputation that will come with the charges.

Edelman suffered a season ending injury during the 2017 preseason game against the Detroit Lions. MRI’s confirmed he had torn his right knee and had to sit out during the entirety of the season. Edelman has since recovered from the injury and participated in OTAs and minicamp with the team.

Image result for julian edelman 2017 injury

LeBron James Set to Meet with Celtics

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Earlier today Stephen A. Smith stated on ESPN First Take that LeBron James will meet with seven teams this summer. One of these teams are the Boston Celtics, a franchise LeBron has routinely terrorized in his distinguished career.

The Top Contenders

The end of LeBron James’s tenure in Cleveland is drawing closer by the day. It is widely speculated that after the conclusion of the NBA Finals this year LeBron will join a new team to finish out his career. The most widely speculated belief is that he will make his way to the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles. There he can work under Magic Johnson as a member of one of the league’s most historic franchises. He’d be able to pursue his post-NBA career business endeavors while attracting other stars to LA to continue chasing rings.

The Philadelphia 76ers are another team that have a good shot at employing the king’s services. While the Lakers are situated in the Western Conference among the likes of the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors, the 76ers remain in the East with fewer powerhouse teams to threaten LeBron in the playoffs. He is known to be a big fan of ‘the process’, and is close with rookie Ben Simmons. He see’s a lot of himself in the self-proclaimed ‘prince’ of the league. James even believes Simmons has a chance to be better than him.

“You have an opportunity,” James told Simmons early on, “to be better than me. But you can’t skip steps. You have to do the work.”

With LeBron at the helm and so much young talent behind him, he could make a strong run at the title during his final twilight years in the NBA.

Boston

To be clear- the chances of Boston actually signing LeBron are slim to none. However, Danny Ainge having a chance to sit down with James and make his case is a thrilling opportunity.

Financially it would be a very difficult situation to work out. The Celtics are already set to breach the luxury tax for the 2019 season, and currently have two players on max contracts. The team is set to owe Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, and Al Horford $76 million combined next season. Boston will be $15 million over the cap limit next year, even if they decide to re-sign Smart. In order for a LeBron signing to be feasible, the team would have to re-allocate integral pieces on the bench.

Even if LeBron agrees to take a pay cut, Boston would likely need to shed one of their three major contracts. Meaning either Horford, Irving, or Hayward would have to be moved.

Danny Ainge and the Celtics management group would have to be very creative to make such a contract work financially. It is not impossible, but it is unlikely.

Would Signing LeBron be Worth It?

LeBron James is still the most dominant player in the game today. He is 33 years old and has been in the league for 15 years. In 2018 he averaged some of the best numbers of his career with 27.5 points, 9.1 assists, and 8.6 rebounds per game. He has three championship rings, three finals MVPs, four MVPs (finalist for MVP this season), and is a 14-time All-Star. The debate has already been going on for years about whether or not he is the greatest to ever play the game.

Adding LeBron James to a team that was one win away from the NBA Finals in a season without two of their All-Stars would undoubtedly make the Celtics front-runners for the championship. He would bring veteran leadership along with other-worldly talent to a roster already bursting at the seams with young potential. Championship aspirations in Boston would be a constant until the end of LeBron’s career.

Given the bright future in store for two of Boston’s younger pieces in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics have a unique opportunity to pull off a huge signing and still be set up for long-term success. Add in the draft pick stockpile the team has built, and Boston could find themselves competing for championships long after LeBron retires.

Will LeBron Sign?

Odds are LeBron will not sign with the Celtics this summer. It is a complex situation financially, and no one knows how much interest James has in joining the team. That being said, in the NBA anything is possible. Just getting an opportunity to meet with LeBron is a big step in pulling off what would be the greatest free agency signing the city of Boston has ever seen.

Buckle up Celtics fans, this summer is going to be a wild one.

Steven Wright Has Earned His Spot in the Rotation

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We weren’t exactly sure what we were going to get from Steven Wright’s return in the rotation on Tuesday night. He pitched well out of the bullpen prior, but starting a game out of the rotation is a totally different scenario. Steven Wright’s start wasn’t originally going to happen. He was inserted into the starting role after Pomeranz was put on the DL with bicep tendinitis. At least for now Wright is the obvious replacement. But from what we saw last night, Alex Cora might keep him in this rotation for now, even when Pomeranz is healthy again. 

Back in the middle of 2016, Wright was lights out at one point, pitching to the best ERA in all of MLB. Pretty crazy. But since then, he hasn’t been very good, pitching to an ERA over 5.0 in his shortened 2017 season. It’s no question that an effective Steven Wright would be an amazing addition to this rotation that has had a bad and unhealthy Drew Pomeranz and a struggling Chris Sale. He will provide much more relief for the rest of the rotation. So, going into Tuesday’s start, we were all hoping he’d show some flashes of his inner Tim Wakefield. Would he do it? Indeed. 

In fact, he exceeded expectations. He went seven strong innings and gave up only two hits and struck out six. His knuckleball was of course dancing around. 

https://twitter.com/mlb/status/1004175396126855168

Certainly none of us should be overreacting after one start, but I am all on board with keeping Wright in this rotation. Even when Pomeranz is able to come back healthy.  He’s deserved it. 

On This Day In Red Sox History: John Valentin’s Cycle

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June 6, 1996, the Boston Red Sox played host to the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park. The Red Sox had gotten off to a terrible start, starting the season 2-12. At least they had a winning record in May, but they were still just 22-34 on the season. The White Sox, on the other hand, were looking like a playoff team at 36-20. The White Sox had already taken the first two games of the series as Boston tried to avoid the sweep.

Red Sox Squander Opportunities

The two teams took the field for a 7:05 start time that Thursday evening. The Red Sox sent former rule five pick, the left-handed Vaughn Eshelman to the mound. He was opposed by veteran lefty Joe Magrane, who has been seen in recent years on MLB Network. Magrane spent all of 1995 in the minors and had mostly pitched out of the bullpen earlier in the season. This would be his fifth start of the year, and his ERA was nearly 5.00. Eshelman was making his third start of the season and was 0-2 with a 12.71 ERA. A pitcher’s duel was not to be expected.

baseballreference.com

Eshelman walked the leadoff hitter. After a single by Frank Thomas, Lyle Mouton, whose brother James also played in the Major Leagues, singled home Tony Phillips for the game’s first run. In the bottom half of the first, the Red Sox leadoff hitter (Jeff Frye) also walked. John Valentin hit the second pitch he saw just over the monster in left for a two-run homer and the Red Sox had the lead. Magrane then walked each of the next two batters before Tim Naehring hit into an inning ending triple play.

The Red Sox wiped out some more baserunners in the second. After a leadoff single by Mike Stanley, Troy O’leary hit into a double play. This proved to be a killer after Jose Malave singled. Through two innings the Red Sox had three base hits and three walks but had hit into a double play and a triple play. However, they still led 2-1.

Valentin Closes In On Cycle

After the White Sox left two men on base in the top of the third, the Red Sox took the opportunity to enhance their lead. John Valentin batted second in the inning and hit a towering fly to center field. Darren Lewis, an excellent fielder, got back to the wall roughly 400 feet from home plate but couldn’t quite jump high enough to catch the fly ball. Valentin wound up on third base with a triple, giving him the two hardest legs of the cycle to complete. It looked like the Red Sox might strand another runner after Mo Vaughn struck out, but Jose Canseco came through with an RBI double to make it a 3-1 ballgame.

The Red Sox added to the lead again in the fourth. Magrane set down the first two batters in the inning. Dwayne Hosey, a key player for the Sox down the stretch in 1995, hit a two out double to give Boston a man in scoring position. Newcomer Jeff Frye, playing his first game with the Red Sox, then singled home Hosey. John Valentin, already batting for the third time singled to left to leave him just a double shy of the cycle in the fourth inning. It had been only two years since the Red Sox last cycle, when Scott Cooper hit for the cycle in Kansas City. The Red Sox got another run after Mo Vaughn doubled, and the game was 5-1 Red Sox after four.

Darren Lewis just missed John Valentin’s deep fly ball to center in the third.

White Sox Make a Game of It

Vaughn Eshelman put on three of the first four batters in the fifth inning. A single by Danny Tartabull scored a run and put men on the corner with one out. Eshelman was able to induce a double play ball from Chris Snopek though and protected a 5-2 lead after five innings. That would be the day for Eshelman, his best start of the season to that point, as he lowered his ghastly ERA to a still horrifying 9.92.

Jamie Moyer replaced Eshelman for the sixth and promptly gave up a leadoff home run to backup catcher Chad Kreuter. Darren Lewis stole second after getting aboard with a single and was driven home by a Tony Phillips single. Moyer was getting batted around and the lead was down to 5-4. He was replaced after striking out Robin Ventura and the Red Sox escaped the inning with a one run lead.

Red Sox Reaffirm Control

The Red Sox wasted no time in reestablishing their safe lead. Jose Malave led off the bottom half of the sixth inning with his second career home run. After two easy outs, Valentin got another crack at Magrane, having already homered, tripled and singled off the lefty. On the first pitch of the at-bat Valentin rocketed the ball down the left field line where it hit the outcropping of the door. Valentin jogged into second base with the double to complete the cycle. The crowd stood on their feet applauding his accomplishment with a standing ovation. Valentin acted like it was no big deal.

John Valentin after completing the cycle.

A Mo Vaughn single scored Valentin and chased Joe Magrane from the game. Magrane’s ERA was now 5.82, and it would only climb from there. He pitched again five days later against the Red Sox, faring better, but taking the loss. He then would make two more poor starts and never pitch again.

As for the rest of this game, it was rather uneventful. Neither team scored over the final three innings, and with the Red Sox in the lead after the top of the ninth, John Valentin never got another at-bat. He finished the day 4-4, hitting for the cycle and scoring three times. No Red Sox hit for the cycle again for nearly two decades, when Brock Holt finally accomplished the feat on June 16, 2015.

Stanley Cup Final – Game 4 Recap

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Washington Is Rolling and Vegas Is Crumbling as the Caps Win 6-2.

The Washington Capitals are now one win away from hoisting the Stanley Cup for the first time in their history. However, they still must pass their biggest test to date to finally put away past failures.

The Golden Knights played desperately and outchanced the Capitals by a wide margin. However, they missed a glorious chance after Neal hit the post on a wide open net, and the momentum seemed to change from that point on.

Washington survived the onslaught and were finally able to score and led 3-0 after the first period. They were once again led by Kuznetsov, who added four assists. He keeps piling on the points in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs to lead all players.

Vegas was able to make it close at 4-2, but as it has been so far this series, the Capitals fought back and put the game out of reach with two quick goals in the third period. Tempers were flaring as the game started to get out of hand, and there were a lot of scuffles after the whistle as frustration had reached its boiling point with Vegas .

If the Capitals are able to keep playing the way they have been the last three games, Lord Stanley will be residing in Washington this year. Ovechkin and his team will get their first chance to hoist the Cup in Game 5 on Thursday night in Las Vegas. No team since the Detroit Red Wings in 1942 has blown a 3-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Final.

Boston Red Sox Select Triston Casas in the First Round

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With the 26th pick in the MLB Draft, the Boston Red Sox selected third baseman Triston Casas. Casas attended American Heritage High School in Florida, and will most likely sign with the Sox barring his commitment to the University of Miami. The 6′ 4″, 238 pound corner infielder has a comparison to Sean Casey and Freddie Freeman with his advanced barrel skills and ability to square up on pitches.

The Good:

Triston Casas was born in Pembroke Pines, Florida. The 18-year-old has a tall and athletic build, which is perfect for a first baseman that can contribute both offensively and defensively. However, he has proven to make strong throws while on the move, as a third baseman does regularly. Casas won the Richard W. “Dick” award in 2017 (given annually to USA Baseball’s top player), and seems to have a bright future ahead of him. Triston also has a major league approach during BP, which is a plus. Casas has a 95 mph exit velocity average and ranks in the 99.3 percentile among his draft class. Best of all, he has shown ability to hit the ball to all fields with ease. Overall, he is a kid with a lot of power, and will only continue to gain muscle mass and improve on his contact abilities.

The Not So Good:

Although Casas has shown he is a good hitter, he has also portrayed a bit of streakiness in his young career. He does have some areas in his swing to improve on, such as occasionally falling off to the side on his follow through. The most troubling thing that sticks out to me is that he had knee surgery performed in December of 2016 (x-ray shots below). This could be an injury prone thing, or it could be nothing to worry about. Power swinging players generate a lot of torque especially in their knees, so this should be something to keep an eye on in the future.

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Wrapping up on Casas:

Overall, I think this kid could be something special. With the recent trouble that the Sox have had with corner infielders (Sandoval, Hanley, Chavis of the likes), this is a great move by the Sox organization.

@ELJGON

Photo Credits: http://tristonraycasas.com/bio/ & USA Today

Terry Rozier’s Days in Boston Are Numbered

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The Birth of Scary Terry

Terry Rozier made quite the name for himself in the 2018 postseason. He took over for injured star Kyrie Irving and played a major role in Boston’s deep playoff run. The Celtics got within one win from the NBA Finals behind stellar team basketball and a few individual big-time performances from the young guard.

Entering the postseason Rozier had played in a total of 22 playoff games, starting in none. He took over as the floor general for the team with only 16 starts to wind down the season. In the 19 playoff games Boston played, Rozier averaged 16.5 points, 5.7 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Terry Rozier made a name for himself from the get-go, hitting a big time three pointer in the final seconds of Game 1 against Milwaukee. The team took care of business in OT as he finished with 23 points. Scary Terry was born, and quickly became a common household name for fans around the world.

Rozier’s Value

Rozier’s value could not be higher than it is right now. The way he has handled the pressure of stepping up and into Kyrie Irving’s enormous shoes can not be overstated. He has molded himself into a quality young point guard with a future as a starter in the NBA. Rozier has talked about his desire to be a starter:

“I know in the future I want to be a starter. Isaiah Thomas in the past and Kyrie now. That’s the only reason I don’t start. But I know I will be a starter in this league.”

The one problem- Boston does not need a starting point guard. With superstar Kyrie Irving at the helm, there is no opportunity for Rozier to play a starting role.

Rozier will play as the team’s sixth man next season. He will see decreased minutes as both Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving return to action.

Danny Ainge has a track record for maximizing return value in every transaction. He traded the organization’s most beloved player since Larry Bird in Paul Pierce. Danny shipped out future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett. He sent Doc Rivers to LA. He even maximized Isaiah Thomas’s value right before his contract was up in a trade for Kyrie Irving.

Free Agency

Rozier is set to become a free agent after the 2019 season. Teams around the league will begin bidding for the blossoming young talent.

It is not likely that Ainge will make the same mistake that general managers in recent history have made.

Pacers’ GM Kevin Pritchard failed to move an unhappy Paul George until it became public knowledge that George wanted out of Indiana. The team ended up getting a good return for the All-Star forward, but by waiting too long it forced the team into a bad situation with next to no leverage in trade discussions.

Even Boston’s own Kyrie Irving forced his way out of Cleveland by making his discontent with the team public. Cleveland’s former GM David Griffin did a poor job of keeping the situation with Irving behind closed doors, leading to a forced trade to the Celtics. A trade that thus far appears to have worked greatly in favor of the Celtics.

If Danny Ainge and the management group for the Celtics see it as an inevitability that Rozier will leave the team next summer, they will not hesitate to make a move.

Draft Rumors

With rumors swirling surrounding the upcoming NBA Draft that the Celtics are looking to move into the lottery, all eyes are on the Rozier situation. The team is interested in Mo Bamba, a pre-draft lock to be taken in the top six. If Boston seeks to make a climb from 27, they will need to put together a monster package.

Any package offered has to be centered around Terry Rozier. The draft presents the perfect opportunity for the Celtics to trade Rozier at the peak of his value.

The Memphis Grizzlies (4th) and Dallas Mavericks (5th) have both openly stated that they are considering trading their pick this year.

The Celtics could offer a package centered around Terry Rozier and the 2019 Kings first rounder to snag Bamba. Mo Bamba is a 7’1” big man with a ridiculous 7’10” wing span. His presence would instantly boost Boston’s unstable front court and provide a much-needed rim protector.

Don’t be surprised if Boston makes a move like this in the days, hours, or minutes leading up to the draft. There will not be a better time to get max value, and Danny Ainge knows it.

Trade Deadline

In the more likely scenario that the team stands pat in the draft expect plenty of trade talks surrounding Rozier at the trade deadline. The deadline will be Boston’s last chance to trade Rozier for good value before he hits free agency. Depending on his performance to start the season the team should still get a quality return for a player of Rozier’s caliber.

By the deadline Boston will have a well-rounded idea of what the team will look like moving forward. Hayward and Irving will have played half a season together at that point, and the rotation will have begun to round out.

Boston’s front office has expressed a desire to keep Rozier, as the team would prefer to retain his services as a critical player in their championship aspirations. Despite their preference in the matter Ainge will need to see the bigger picture and make a move if he feels Rozier will leave.

The worst-case scenario would be waiting until next summer to move Rozier. By that time teams looking to pry him away from Boston will wait until his free agency hits to scoop him up without moving their own assets. Boston will lose Rozier and have nothing to show for it.

Given these circumstances and Danny Ainge’s history in similar situations as much fun as it has been watching Rozier blossom and as nice as it would be to have him moving forward, his days in Boston are numbered.

Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady Had Their Annual Physicals Today

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Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady Had Their Annual Physicals Today

Rob Gronkowski was not only spotted at Gillette Stadium today, but he was also spotted at the Brigham and Women’s Health Center. Gronkowski was there for his physical before mandatory minicamp. Rob Gronkowski and Chris Hogan both drove themselves to the medical center this afternoon. This comes before the first day of minicamp tomorrow. Tom Brady also had his physical today at the Brigham and Women’s Health Center.

It seems Brady and Gronkowski are all in on this season, even though they skipped the voluntary team workouts. Usually, Gronkowski goes into the Health Center often in the offseason. However,  today was his first appearance there. Both Gronkowski and Brady have been getting treatment with Alex Guerrero. They’ve been at TB12 at Patriot Place all offseason. Tom Brady’s approach to this offseason has been different than years past, putting himself and the family first before the team. Same with Gronkowski, who is rumored to have a new contract soon after complaining he wasn’t getting paid enough indirectly.

Is Everything Back to Normal in New England?

Tom Brady hasn’t spoken to any local media yet about why he skipped the offseason workouts.  It will be interesting to see if he speaks tomorrow. Brady, Gronkowski, and Hogan passed their physicals with no issues. Tomorrow, we’ll see Brady probably with the first team throwing to Gronkowski, Hogan, and Edelman. Danny Etling for the first time will get to see how Brady runs the offense. Etling will probably learn a lot from Brady like Jimmy Garoppolo did.

Bill Belichick will probably speak to the media and say nothing about Brady being there. He’ll just snort and grunt and say the same things he always says. Everyone expected that Brady would be back for mandatory minicamp this week. There are still some questions though that need to be answered by Brady himself. For Brady, Gronkowski, and Hogan to have their physicals today is a good sign that they’ll be ready to go.

Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski Are Back

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Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski Are in the Building

(Foxborough, MA, 01/13/16) Wide receiver #11, tight end #87 Rob Gronkowski, and quarterback #12 Tom Brady warm up for Patriots practice at Gillette. Wednesday, January 13, 2016. Staff photo by John Wilcox.Relax people- Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski have arrived ahead of mandatory minicamp tomorrow. At a charity event yesterday, Gronk said he was going to be attending mandatory minicamp this week. With Brady and Gronkowski missing OTAs, it will be interesting to see how Belichick approaches minicamp this year. Both Brady and Gronkowski attended Fantasy Camp today at Gillette Stadium with the rest of their teammates.

Both Gronkowski and Brady have been getting treatment all offseason long at TB12. The drama between Brady and Belichick really shouldn’t stop them from winning because the AFC is so bad. Josh McDaniels’s return helps, because Brady would rather listen to Josh more than Belichick. Tom Brady will probably be with the first team with the start of minicamp tomorrow.

The Voluntary Workouts Are Over

Teammates didn’t have a problem with Brady missing OTAs last week. They were stressing all along that it was voluntary. Dont’a Hightower said last week, “12 (Brady) is a big part of this team and he means a lot to us in the locker room, but as far as the culture goes, it’s always been next man up. Whether it’s 12, or Gronk, or me missing, or whenever (Jerod) Mayo went down, or (Vince) Wilfork or whatever, it’s always been next man up. That’s the kind of way Bill has built this culture. Whenever the next guy is up, they’re just looking for that next chance and opportunity.
We’re not going to work harder just because 12’s not here or because Gronk’s not here. Dwayne Allen’s doing a great job. Tye’s doing a great job. Niklas is doing a great job. All of these guys are getting those extra reps and getting better and wanting to contribute to this team.”

We’ll just have to wait and see what happens. There are still some questions about how Brady will approach Danny Etling at camp? Will Brady give him the cold shoulder like he did with Jimmy Garoppolo? Or will Brady just realize that his time is coming to an end anyway, and give Etling the reps he needs? Minicamp is a big part of the off-season program. Believe it or not, training camp starts in late July.

Houston

Red Sox Make a Statement in Houston

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With a 9-3 victory over the Houston Astros, the Red Sox earned a split in their series against one of the best teams in baseball. This series was big for the Sox and they made a statement. Coming into the series the Red Sox had the best record in baseball. The Red Sox have received criticism for not having a difficult schedule compared to other teams. The Astros represented the perfect challenge; they have a potent lineup and the best rotation in baseball, including Justin Verlander, who is having a Cy Young year. The first two games went to Houston, but the Red Sox fought back.

Red Sox Drop First Two in Houston

The series did not start the way the Red Sox wanted. Drew Pomeranz started the opener and allowed four runs in five innings of work. The Sox were not able to muster much offense against the Astros’ pitching. Lance McCullers went six innings allowing only two runs, and the Astros’ bullpen pitched three scoreless innings to win 4-2. Game two also ended in a loss for the Red Sox, as the Astros won 7-3. Red Sox ace Chris sale gave up four runs in five innings of work. Joe Kelly who has been lights out gave up three runs, including two home runs, and Houston’s bullpen again shutdown the Red Sox hitters. It appeared as if the Red Sox may lose the series against a team that they have a very good chance of facing in the playoffs.

Houston

Photo Credit: AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Red Sox Battle Back

The Sox had different plans for game three as David Price took the mound. The Sox needed Price to be at his best, and he delivered. Price gave up three runs, but he went six innings and struck out seven batters to earn the win. The Red Sox received clutch home runs from Vazquez and Benintendi. They finally got to the Astros bullpen after Verlander departed. Will Harris gave up three runs. On Sunday the Sox were in complete control, as Astros starter Charlie Morton gave up six runs including two home runs. The Sox were led by Holt and Moreland, who combined for five runs batted in as the Sox won 9-3.

Houston

Photo Credit: Bob Levey/ Getty Images

What Does This Series Show?

The Red Sox faced their greatest challenge of the young season without their hottest player and veteran leader. They faced the Astros’ best three pitchers, who have all been the toughest in baseball this season. David Price and Rick Porcello showed up for Boston in this series. They split the series on the road after losing the first two. There is still a lot of baseball to be played, but the Red Sox showed what type of team they are in Houston.