Put Eovaldi In The Bullpen

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This Red Sox season has seemed like one long extended Alien Ant Farm, Michael Jackson “Smooth Criminal” mashup. No, no we are not ok. I said we are not ok. Didn’t you hear me? Oh, right, we’ve been hit. Nathan Eovaldi apparently is not walking through that door before late June or early July at the earliest.

It’s not just the starting rotation that’s been hurting, but the bullpen too. Ryan Brasier, as predicted, has regressed. This is putting a lot of strain on the most consistent member of Alex Cora‘s pen: Matt Barnes.

Lou’s point is a good one. Matt Barnes has too much on his shoulders. Imagine if he was given the job of Closer, the stability Craig Kimbrel insisted on. The only thing Lou’s missing is Barnes isn’t just the Closer, he’s the stopper, the only one Cora trusts this year with the most difficult part of the opposing lineup. So he’s the 7th, 8th and 9th inning guy.

Eovaldi To The Pen

Sometimes, as Pete Townshend told us, one and one don’t make two, they make one. Eovaldi’s well known injury history has bitten, but what if he doesn’t have to pitch 80 or 90 or 100 pitches? He has his big contract, he’s in the first year of a four year $67.5 Million deal. That needle that pushes into the competitive and fear centers of the brain isn’t there. He doesn’t need to be a sometimes competitive starter to make his dough. He’s made it. Couldn’t he be happy being a dominant Closer?

Sale, Price, Porcello, Rodriguez. Those are your top four starters. Yes, the replacements in the rotation have been dreadful, but 10 blown saves on the year so far are more important that the fifth starter.

Playoff Eovaldi

Alex Cora used “The Rover” in the 2018 playoffs. He asked the starters to fill in the bullpen gaps. Eovaldi was the most successful. For his career he has a 4.21 ERA with a 1.352 WHIP. In the playoffs, as a Rover, against the Astros and the Dodgers, he went 9.1 innings, four hits, one walk, seven strikouts, one earned run. Some quick calculations get to a 0.99 ERA and 0.54 WHIP.

If Eovaldi can do that against the toughest competition in the league, he can do it on a Wednesday night in June, or any other day.

Make Nathan Eovaldi a $17 million a year Closer. Give Barnes another year as the setup man. Next year, when Rick Porcello goes elsewhere and Pablo Sandoval‘s $18 Million come off the books…Hold it right there. Sometimes the reasons that the Red Sox have the highest payroll in the league and can’t add any more are dumbfounding.

Regardless, right now, for this team, Eovaldi in the bullpen makes too much sense.

Backes battles former dreams in hopes to achieve new one

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St Louis drafted David Backes in the second round of the 2003 NHL entry draft. In 2008 the Blues completed their first full season with Backes. Backes played with the Blues for ten seasons. As result of exceptional leadership Backes was team captain for five of those years. St. Louis Fans absolutely considered Backes a crowd favorite. He played a crucial part in the Blues making the playoffs in six of his ten years there. After no championship in ten seasons, or even making it to a cup final, Backes decided to turn a new leaf.

In 2016 David Backes signed a five year contract with the Boston Bruins. After three seasons with the Bruins, and a so far successful run in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, a very interesting situation has come as a result; The Boston Bruins are playing the St. Louis Blues in a Stanley Cup Final, winner take all game seven on Wednesday night.

Leader on and off the ice

Backes is seen by some as the bad guy given that he plays with quite the amount of grit, in other words, he’s not always a crowd favorite. Presenting himself in a good manor is something David Backes does very well. He’s highly active in animal rescue and animal adoption efforts. Those efforts have resulted in starting his own organization that raises funds and awareness for protecting homeless pets. Who doesn’t like a guy that saves animals? But presently Backes’ game results in him being quite dog himself. Backes isn’t the type of guy to be a crowd favorite for the fans of opposing teams. After taking on the enforcer roll, Backes is a thorn in the side of opposing players now even more so.

Feeling Blue?

Having to play the Blues in the Cup does have Backes a little torn. He even wishes the Bruins and Blues could take turns winning the cup. As a result of playing former friends and coaches for the cup, they’ve all given the cold shoulder until after the series according to Backes, therefore game seven will be open season. Given that David Backes still roots for the Blues, even as a member of the Boston Bruins, he isn’t in a lose – lose situation.I

Certainly hoping to hoist the cup himself with the Bruins, I think its easy to tell now that even if the game results in the Blues win the cup on Wednesday night there’s a little piece of David Backes that will be filled with joy, seeing his former teammates, coaches, fans, and even some close friends hoist the Stanley Cup.

How does Kevin Durant’s injury impact the Celtics?

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I outlined in my previous article the reasons why Kevin Durant should sign with the Celtics. After his unfortunate Achilles tear last night, that seems like a lost thought. Durant’s expected recovery time is 10-18 months. However, there are plenty of ways that Durant going down drastically effects the entire NBA, and helps the C’s.

Rozier Celtics
No Durant most likely means no New York for Kyrie

Kyrie Irving’s Free Agency decision

Kyrie Irving has been linked to KD since the All-Star break. Rumors about the two joining forces have run rampant all season. Now with Kevin Durant out for the next year, Kyrie’s decision is altered. He now must either decide between the Brooklyn Nets or a return to Boston. He may want to wait the year out for a healthy Durant

Durant’s fall from the #1 spot could lure Leonard out to view his options

Dramatic shift in the FA Market

Kevin Durant was all set up to be the top free agent of 2019, and every other player would fall under him. With the top market option no longer number 1, that leaves a lot of money on the table. This potentially could lure Kawhi Leonard to decline his player option, and give the C’s a chance at grabbing a generational talent. Leonard would be insane to not give himself the options he’d have as the top free agent. It also makes role players like Marcus Morris less valuable, since an injured Durant is more valuable than a healthy Morris.

Celtics may land a discount on Durant

Kevin Durant to the Celtics has always been a possibility, but never a reality. He’s been expensive, and had an infinite line of suitors from which to choose. His injury history may scare many suitors off who don’t want to take on the risk. On top of that, the injuries may have potentially caused his price to drive down. This makes him affordable and makes Boston much more attractive. With the way the Celtics treated Gordon Hayward, Durant would be foolish to not give the C’s a hard look after injury.

Team Fight Tuesday Header

Team Fight Tuesday: Boston’s Last Stand at Gibraltar

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Welcome to Team Fight Tuesday! In this segment we revisit team fights from the past weekend and dive into why this fight is worth watching. While this weekend was a particularly rough one to watch, I went back through the mess because there are still some good takeaways from lost fights. The London game was interesting as we saw the introduction of both Persia and Alemao, but it’s the Paris game that we are going to look at today.

The Surprise Early Fight

In a shocking turn of events Boston found themselves down 2 maps to 1, with only one last defense to go on Gibraltar. To add to the trouble, Paris finished their first push with almost four minutes in the time bank. Both teams have been running GOATs on this map, and it’s not surprising to see both default to it again. With so much time left, and momentum thoroughly in Paris’ favor, Boston was forced to shake up their defensive strategy.


Rather than attempt to hold high ground as many teams do, Boston elected to bring the fight to Paris early. Hiding in the staircase close to point, Boston hits the Eternal with a surprise attack leading to a pick on Nicogdh. A fight like this is one of the best fights for Boston to take. It is a low risk high reward strategy because if Boston were to lose the first fight, they would still have the chance to fight again but closer to the point. Instead of winning just one fight, Paris now has to win multiple fights.

Killing Nicogdh very early forces Paris to back off into their own spawn, thus preventing them from pushing the cart forward. Without Brig, Paris doesn’t have the sustain to continue the brawl for the cart.

Following the first fight, Boston wants to set up around either stairs ,where they started, or by cart. Setting up by stairs denies Paris access to the high ground and allows Boston an easy escape route. Setting up on cart gives Boston access to the mega health pack and natural cover from poke damage. Both are valid points of defense in this situation, but the important thing is to pick one. For GOATs, teamwork is key and staying as a unit means success.

The Unsettled Follow-up Fight

Boston decides to pick both at the same time, and the result is less than ideal.

A couple things don’t look right here. We have Blase and Alemao setting up near the stairs while rCk and Colourhex position themselves by the cart and left room. Fusions is left alone holding a weird off angle where he isn’t receiving heals from Alemao. The spread thin Boston defense can’t sustain themselves at this point and have to fall back, but rCk losing his mech mid-retreat is what costs the Uprising valuable resources. As Blase dies shortly after, Boston’s plan went from highly successful to terribly bad.

The last hope for the Uprising is holding the corner after the underpass. It’s this spot where Boston would have high ground that overlooks the point, as well as a tight choke point to contest Paris.

The Ult Bonanza

Having to wait for the dead members on their team, Boston retreats far off of point to avoid any more casualties. Then just as soon as both teams have six players, the ults start flying. Rally, shatter, transcendence, beat, and bomb, are all used in this fight by both teams. Result? Zero deaths on either side. Honestly both teams played this fight well, with Aimgod having an insane reaction time to trans Benbest’s shatter. It was this moment where Boston had the most hope for a hold.

The Game Ending Fight

With just under two minutes left after the fight, Boston looked poised to bring it to overtime. Seeing that Danye has the most ult charge, Paris’ win condition is his graviton surge. Everyone on Gibraltar knows this, so the focus becomes the mind-game between Danye and rCk. rCk has already eaten a few of Danye’s gravs, and serves as the best and truly only line of defense for Boston. Positioning for rCk is key, but unfortunately the worst happens. Boston’s DVA is focused and killed.


He appears to be taking a flank angle which would allow him to have sight on Danye to eat his ult, as well as pressure Paris’ back line. However, it looks as though Finnsi pushes rCk out of a safe position, forcing him to fly to the health pack under the bridge. Knowing the only thing stopping him from ulting is half a map away, Danye is free to press “Q”.

In the viewers seat, it’s tough to really know what went on in comms that caused this mental lapse. Could be something simple as “No armor pack” or “No bubble” that meant that the only way rCk was going to live was if he flew to the mega health pack.

I personally think after the previous fight, Boston just couldn’t keep track of the opposing Zarya ult-charge. Since Danye had started the fight with grav, he was able to build the next one during the entire fight. Since no one died, he was able to just continually deal damage to unkillable targets.

With such a promising start to this defense (and really the entire match) it’s heartbreaking to see it end in a loss. The best news about as loss is that it creates many learning opportunities. The mistakes in these fights were few but very costly. If there’s one thing I know about this Boston, I know they will bounce back stronger and they will come out on top of these fights next weekend.

That’s it for Team Fight Tuesday! Next weekend we have Houston and Philly, hopefully we can discuss a winning fight from our boys in blue!

All clips featured in this article are courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment

Be sure to follow Brock on twitter for more breakdowns and analysis #BostonUp


Price's

Why The Sox Injury Woes Are Holding Them Back More Than We Realize

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So much has been made of the Yankees injury bug thus far. With players like Judge, Stanton and Severino amongst others spending time on the IL, even the most biased Red Sox fan has to concede that what the Yankees have done without their stars is impressive.

However, there are 29 other teams and they have injury problems as well. The Red Sox are very much so in that category. Both the lineup and the pitching staff has seen players come and go from the IL all season.

A lot of of Red Sox nation may be overreacting to the team being just a game over .500 and eight games back of first. Me? I am still not worried. Some of the Red Sox injuries might be a lot more impactful then some might think. When it comes down to it, the Red Sox have had as many players on the IL as anyone this season. Including the Yankees.

What The Lineup is Without

The most important bat we’ve been without lately is Mitch Moreland. Mitch has been on the IL for a couple of weeks now, but appears to be nearing a return. While Moreland’s batting average might not appeal to the eye, he was swinging the power bat better than he ever had. He’s already at 13 home runs, which is just two behind his total from last season. Not only is Moreland ailing, but his first base contemporary, Steve Pearce, is as well.

Right when Pearce started to get going with the bat, his back started to bother him. Pearce isn’t expected back for at least another week or two, and when he does come back, there is going to be some tough roster decisions to be made. With Chavis earning his spot to stay, one of Pearce and Nunez could find themselves out of a job in Boston. Pearce needs to get healthy quickly so he can show he still has some value to this team.

Other hitters like Eduardo Nunez and Tzu-Wei Lin have spent time on the IL this year, along with Brock Holt. Holt is the most impactful name of the three, and having him back has already paid dividends. Holt came in with the game on the line last night and delivered. A clutch RBI single to tie the game in the 9th and send it to extras. Brock isn’t a game changer by any means. However, having that utility man and that reliable bat back on the bench is a huge boost.

Missing Some Team Leaders

Of course we can’t forget the struggle which Dustin Pedroia is going through. While he may not be the most impactful injury on the list, he’s another player on our roster who could be contributing but who’s body won’t let him. I still have faith for Dustin and I truly believe he can come back. Not having him even on the bench for morale is a loss for this team.

Finally, J.D. Martinez. J.D. had gone a little cold the last few weeks, I think a lot of it stems from the constant back spasms he’s been dealing with. Martinez has yet to be placed on the IL, but did miss four straight games at one point last week. He’s also missed and been pulled from various others. I definitely think more rest and more DH-ing needs to be in Martinez’s future. Getting him to the all-star break healthy (when he can rest) needs to be top priority for the Red Sox.

The Injuries to the Rotation

The one that I have start with would be David Price. Price spent a few weeks on the injured list, causing him to miss a handful of starts. That proved costly for Boston, as Price has been their best starter this season. That, coupled with the fact that the guys who replaced him, were nothing impressive on the hill. Since returning on May 20th after 18 days on the IL, Price has thrown 24 innings across five starts. In those five starts, he’s picked up three wins and allowed a total of only three runs and four walks. Having David miss a couple weeks certainly took a few W’s out off the win column for the Red Sox.

Then we turn to another devastating injury in the rotation, Nathan Eovaldi. Boston’s prized signing of the offseason, Eovaldi was off to a slow start even before having to have elbow surgery. He hasn’t made a start since April 17th against New York, which happened to be his best outing before being placed on the IL. Eovaldi might not have been anything to marvel at in his first four starts, but we can’t just forget what he did in October.

Even going down the stretch, Nate was fantastic and came through clutch in so many situations. Eovaldi is going to return before the all-star break and should make an immediate impact. At the very least, we know he’s going to give us a better chance to win than a lot of the spot starters who’ve taken his place since.

The Damage to the Bullpen

Three of the bigger innings-eaters in Brian Johnson, Tyler Thornburg and Hector Velazquez have found their way to the IL. This has caused Dombrowski to have to reach deep into the farm system to find bullpen arms. While Thornburg and Velazquez were not great, their replacements have been even worse. Not only that, but the pressure on the big four (Brasier, Workman, Barnes, Walden) has been increased to the point where they look overworked.

Velazquez

People can talk all they want about the Yankees injury problems, and I feel for them, I do. You always want to beat the best teams with all their best players. So hopefully for New York’s sake they can get healthy.

However, Boston’s injury woes have been just has bad and just as impactful. I think once we see Eovaldi return, and J.D. gets back to 100%, this team can get itself on track and still compete for the division.

Gronkowski Still has ‘The Itch’

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Rob Gronkowski held his 7th annual Citi, Pro Camp for kids. Helping the Boston food bank along with the kids who all brought food for a great cause.

Gronk was his usual happy self on the first day of his camp this year. The future HOF TE was running around playing quarterback, catching passes and teaching kids the importance of teamwork. He’s a great role model and it showed all day.

Everyone Including 800 Children had the same question for Gronk

https://twitter.com/boston_sports18/status/1138166870027177984?s=21

The Patriots could surely use his services on the football field, but for now he is enjoying retirement. Rob is helping out in the community like he’s always done in the past.

This year the whole Gronkowski gang was out participating and having a blast. The event along with the kids brought in over 6,500 food items for the Greater Boston Food Bank.

Over 6500 items of food for the Greater a Boston Food Bank. (Mike Quilty)
  • Gronk taking a bow
    (Mike Quilty)

The greatest TE I’ve ever seen is just as clutch when it comes to the community as his catches were this postseason and Super Bowl.

Gronkowski could potentially come back to the Patriots at some point this upcoming season. The decision will probably be unexpected and a surprise.

The TE had one amazing surprise for two of the Pro Camp participants, what a class act.

https://twitter.com/boston_sports18/status/1137434664975704064?s=21

Gronkowski always knows how to make someone smile, whether he’s off the field continuing his charities, or suiting up for the Patriots at some point in 2019.

The decision to retire is respected by everyone, but some of his ex teammates said they know he can still play and wouldn’t be surprised by a return. Gronk is going to be Gronk whatever he decides to do, he’s a Champion on and off the field.

Thank you to the Gronkowski’s, Rob in particular and everyone involved in a winning Saturday.

The end of a great day


Tatum

Is Jayson Tatum Worth Trading?

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Pelicans Interested in Tatum

Speculation regarding the Boston Celtics trading for Anthony Davis has been a topic of conversation all season. The Celtics don’t have the ability to trade for Davis while retaining Kyrie Irving because of the Rose rule. It also doesn’t make much sense to trade for one superstar as the other superstar leaves. The obvious answer would be the Celtics trading their draft picks or young stars. When the draft lottery dust settled the Boston’s draft prospects weren’t as enticing, leaving the young stars.

It has been reported that New Orleans Pelicans GM Daniel Griffin are interested in trading Davis to the Celtics for Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, a filler player and the 14th pick in this year’s draft. This trade is causing some interesting conversations around the community, specifically in the are of betting and more specifically UK Betting. The question then becomes, should the Celtics trade that package for Davis? Should the Celtics trade any of their young stars for Davis?

Irving
Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving (11) and forward Jayson Tatum (0) celebrate after a three point shot by Tatum. Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Rising Star Regression

Midway through the 4th quarter of Game 7 of the 2017-2018 Eastern Conference Finals the Cleveland Cavaliers led the Boston Celtics 71-67. Jayson Tatum got the pass at the top of the key, made one move and posterized LeBron James. It was the dunk heard ‘round the World and seemed to cement Tatum’s arrival to the NBA. Tatum averaged almost 5 ppg more (18.5 ppg) in the 2017-2018 playoffs than in the regular season (13.9 ppg). The future looked bright for Tatum and the Boston Celtics.

Tatum’s ascent seemed to continued when he improved in 2018-2019 in nearly every important metric besides shooting percentage splits. When the playoffs ended, however, fans had witnessed a serious regression. Tatum saw dips in points, assists and shooting percentage splits with no improvement in defense. Tatum’s only playoff improvement over 2017-2018 was rebounding. Kyrie Irving’s presence seemed to handicap Tatum’s game, along with Jaylen Brown’s, whose production also decreased.

Davis Celtics
Jayson Tatum, right, and Jaylen Brown, left, have long been considered the future of the Boston Celtics. Herald Photo by Jim Michaud

Is Anthony Davis Worth It

Speaking of regression, Anthony Davis was a model for regression in 2018-2019. Davis saw decreases in points (-2.2 ppg), assists (-1.6), his signature blocks (0.2) and his even more signature shooting splits. One could argue it was due to the animosity surrounding Davis and the Pelicans, which I would argue was self-indused. What’s the difference between regression and regression because you’re forcing a mid-season trade? It’s the difference between trading or not trading players like Tatum or Jaylen Brown for Anthony Davis.

It has been reported the Celtics wouldn’t trade Brown for Kawhi Leonard. Perhaps the Celtics don’t feel either player is worth trading away, especially for what might be a one-year rental. The Celtics are seeing how that plays out with Kyrie Irving. Brown also regressed in the presence of Irving, which begs the question, what if Tatum and Brown were the stars, a la the 2017-2018 NBA Playoffs? Both players progressed from their rookie to sophomore years. Brown and Tatum were All-Rookie selections, respectively, and both players possess a skill set that extends to both sides of the floor. The Boston Celtics were within a few minutes of making the NBA Finals in their rookie (Tatum) and second (Brown) years.

When you consider Davis’ effect on the Pelicans last year, his regression and contract status, trading for him becomes questionable. When you consider the potential of Tatum and Brown, trading them for Davis becomes difficult. Now consider none of these scenarios take Kyrie Irving’s uncertainty with the Celtics into account. Suddenly trading Tatum, draft picks and the heart of the team in Marcus Smart for Davis becomes impossible.

Recap: The Boston Bruins Force Game 7

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The Boston Bruins had their backs against the wall going into Enterprise Stadium in St. Louis on Sunday night. The Stanley Cup was in the building and the Blues were looking to hoist it in front of their home crowd. Word got out that the Blues already had a restaurant rented to celebrate their victory and a St. Louis newspaper had leaked an image online congratulating the Blues on their Stanley Cup win. Boston had an uphill battle to climb and they were up to the task.

Motivation

In the locker room before the game, Patrice Bergeron gave a rousing speech to fire up the boys in black and gold. Jake DeBrusk spoke about it afterward. “He’s a legend. He said some words that I don’t know if he necessarily wants me to repeat. They weren’t bad words. It was just about what we all dream about doing. Everyone that grows up playing hockey dreams of being in this moment. It was something along those lines and to see him set the tone that way wanted us all to run through a wall.”

(Photo by Jeff Roberson)

Quick Start

If the St. Louis Blues defense was the proverbial wall, the Bruins certainly ran through it. In the first period they had a 5-3 power play and capitalized almost immediately with a goal by Brad Marchand. After holding a 1-0 lead through two periods, the Bruins opened the floodgates in the third. Two and a half minutes into the period Brandon Carlo scored, and halfway through the period Karson Kuhlman scored his first career postseason goal, putting the Bruins up 3-0.

With eight minutes left in the game, Blues Center Ryan O’Reilly scored in a bizarre incident. Tukka Rask stopped the puck with his right leg pad, kicked it back out and play continued. During the next stoppage in play word had come down from Toronto to review the shot attempt. Upon review it was determined that the puck had completely cleared the line, making it a good goal. St. Louis was on the board and had life with the score now 3-1.

Closing Out Strong

That was the only goal they would score. With six minutes remaining, Brad Marchand, in front of the net, sent a backward pass to David Pastrnak. Pastrnak faked a shot, baiting goalie Jordan Binnington, who laid out to make a stop. The puck was shot top shelf and went in easily. Finally, with just under three minutes left, Zdeno Chara scored with an unassisted slap shot, making the final score 5-1. After the game, Brad Marchand said, “We’re fighting for our lives obviously. When you play desperate, I think you see everyone’s best game.”

(Photo by Jeff Roberson)

The Bruins are now 3-0 when facing elimination this post season and Tuukka Rask is a major part of that. His goals allowed average is 1.34, and he has a .953 save percentage in elimination games. Boston will host Game 7 on Wednesday night. The Cup will be at TD Garden and somebody will be hoisting it in victory. Both teams will be desperate. With Rask in net and the home crowd fired up and participating, this Boston Bruins team could very well pull the victory. They’ll need everyone ready to run through a wall to do so.

Red Sox

RED SOX – RANGERS SERIES PREVIEW

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The weekend series against the Rays was a progress stopper. After sweeping the Royals last week, the Red Sox lost 3-of-4 in Fenway to drop seven games behind the Yankees and Rays in the division. The upcoming week presents another chance to string together some wins, and that starts with the Rangers in Fenway Park.

6/10 Chris Sale vs. Mike Minor (L) 7:10 pm NESN

6/11 TBD vs. Ariel Jurado (R) 7:10 pm NESN

6/12 Rick Porcello vs. Lance Lynn (R) 7:10 pm NESN

6/13 David Price vs. Adrian Sampson (R) 7:10 pm NESN

NOTABLE NUMBERS

PITCHERS

Chris Sale threw a three-hit, 12 strikeout shut out in his last start in Kansas City. However, Sale has actually had most of his struggles at home this season. The left-handed pitcher has a 4.45 ERA in 28 1/3 innings at Fenway, compared to just a 3.49 ERA on the road. In contrast, both Rick Porcello and David Price has far superior numbers at home than on the road. If there was any pitcher of the three to bank on to turn their home form around it would be Sale.

Mike Minor is demonstrating the talent that we all knew he had this season. The veteran left-hander has his career derailed by injuries but has fought hard to get himself back on track. This season he has a career-best 2.55 ERA as a starter, striking out 87 in 81 1/3 innings. He has been slightly been more vulnerable on the road, with a 3.00 ERA, and a .310 wOBA.

The Rangers will be using two pitchers in this series who have served time both out of the rotation and the bullpen. Ariel Jurado has also been extremely good this season, both as a starter and a reliever. As a starter, he has a 3.57 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings. Adrian Sampson has been less impressive as a starter, with a 4.93 ERA, but has struck out 34 in 38 1/3 innings.

HITTERS

On the road, this season the Rangers have generally hit well. They rank in the top-10/15 of most road statistics. They have not had it all their own way, in fact, they rank second last in the majors in strikeouts on the road, with a 27.5 K%. Their road record is also pretty poor when it comes to results, as they sit just 10-18. This series should present plenty of opportunities for the Red Sox pitchers to rack up the K’s.

The Red Sox are coming off a series in which they averaged just 2.25 runs per game. It is going to be extremely hard to win games scoring that few runs, especially when they did not have to face one of the Rays best pitchers in Charlie Morton. However, the Rays do rank best in the majors when it comes to ERA. The Rangers? They rank seventh, allowing nearly two runs more per nine innings pitched.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Pitching: The Red Sox will be hoping Sale can continue his good form from last time out. They will also be looking for Porcello and Price to continue their good home form this season. However, question marks remain around the other starter in this series and their bullpen. Depth in starting pitching will likely be important later in the season, and they need their bullpen to hold its own if they are to close the gap and push for this division.

Hitting: You know you have had a bad series at the plate when Jackie Bradley Jr. is the only hitter to clear the fences. The positive is that the Red Sox really need something from JBJ’s bat, but there are more issues in that stat than positives, The Rangers rotation can be got at, and that is just the type of staff the Red Sox need to face right now.

EXPECTATIONS

The Red Sox season just rolls from frustration to frustration. Every time it looks as though they are building some momentum, it gets ripped away with a poor series. That is the case once again after this Rays series. The Red Sox are 34-32 and hovering seven games off the division lead.

There is still a lot of time to go. We have only just clicked through the 62-game mark, leaving over 100 games. In the grand scheme of things a seven game deficit when you consider that is nothing. However, the Rangers are a middle of the pack team. If the Red Sox want to be viewed as more than a middle of a pack team they need to send the Rangers packing with a series defeat.

Shotcaller

Monday Shotcaller: Stage 3 Week 1

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Well that’s not how anybody drew it up. After a month long break to think about getting reverse swept by the lowly Washington Justice, the Uprising launch Stage 3 against the London Spitfire and Paris Eternal. One pretty great team and a fellow mid-tier team. What could go wrong? Turns out, everything.

The Good

The Bad

I thought we’d turned the corner on winter, but the snowballing keeps coming. Against Paris on Paris (weird sentence) it seemed like Boston had no answer once they dropped point A. Letting Paris get on a roll like that gave them confidence it was a one point map, which doesn’t help when teams are going three laps a match.

I’ve watched that offense play on Horizon against London four times now (not hard when the whole map is 12 minutes long). Not sure what was worse – Fusions/Blase taking turns getting picked first, or Persia’s ill-timed Transcendences. Getting obliterated like that on the second map was not a good look. Alemao also got picked right as the tides were starting to turn. The two newbies need to pick it up.

Getting one point on Eichenwelde and the same on Dorado against London was soul crushing. Those offensive pushes were hard to watch. You could tell that London’s coordination and synergy were on point. Once Fury ate Colourhex’s grav after BU’s first cap, the sense of dread just filled the arena.

The Uprising

Was great to see some of the other players on the team get a start. Persia, who just landed in the US weeks ago. Alemao – who hasn’t been seen since Stage 1 Week 1. Wonder if Axxiom will get his due.

Weird observation here, but the Uprising’s social media team may have taken a nap this week – they usually post some plays from the games during the matches. All I see are score updates. Give me something!

Seeing as the Ilios was the only map the Uprising won this weekend, let’s appreciate what they did there. They focused the supports extremely well. I saw a lot of rotations from Fusions and Colourhex to pull away from the front line when their health dropped. Well timed ults. That’s what’s so frustrating – these guys know how to play – they just couldn’t do it through the course of two matches.

Boston plays Paris again in Week 3 of this stage, and has two matches against the Philadelphia Fusion. Other than Houston next week, there aren’t any gimme games. There is no time to waste if Boston wants to get it together. Making stage playoffs after opening 0-2 isn’t easy, but as I’ve written, the year end playoffs are the focus. Boston can’t get out of the top 12 or they are cooked.

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