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Red Sox – Rays Series Preview

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Right now the Red Sox are poor Ned Umber. Nailed to a wall of poor performances, turned by the Night King of a 6-13 record, and set on fire by Red Sox Nation.

This is not a melodramatic assessment. Check out what David Price, the only starter who has thrown 7 shutout innings this year, has to say:

With that in mind they start a three game series with the division leading Tampa Bay Rays tonight.

They have guys performing like this all over their roster:

Pitching Matchups/Schedule (TV)

4/19 – Eduardo Rodriguez vs Ryan Stanek (NESN)

4/20 – Rick Porcello vs Charlie Morton (NESN)

4/21 – David Price vs Tyler Glasnow (NESN)

Notable Numbers

.1835 This is the career batting average of current Rays regulars against Rodriguez (.184) and Price (.183). This is just another reminder of what the Red Sox starters are capable of if they can get their heads screwed on straight.

The Red Sox have very few at bats against Stanek, but have hit .381 against him. They have a little more history against Charlie Morton, who they’ve hit to a .333 clip.

What To Watch For

Xander Bogaerts will have a lot to do with any success the Sox have this weekend. He’s hitting .500 against Morton in 12 at bats, including a home run, and .381 against Stanek with a triple.

This is a big weekend for the Red Sox, but even more so for Rick Porcello. He’s completely out of sorts, and the Rays have a lot of success against him. He could either spin off into oblivion, or turn his season around.

Sunday’s game could be a great pitching duel. Glasnow comes in with a 4-0 record, 1.13 ERA, and .88 WHIP. Price went 7 innings and allowed no runs his last time out against Baltimore.

Expectations

Another series, another ‘Who can say?‘ History says this is a series win for the Sox. But the reality is the Sox are 6-13, while the Rays are 14-5.

The Red Sox have to snap out of it at some point. Right now they have a 10 game stretch where they play the Rays six times. That’s a real opportunity to change the narrative. It’s also a massive risk where the Night King takes over and the whole team gets traded.

We’ve gone from watching glory, to a Shakespearean tragedy. At least it’s interesting.

Featured image via HBO screen grab.

Follow: @BostonsportSAHD

How Can Trey Ball Adjust To The Outfield.

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While others had made the jump in previous years, how will Trey Ball adapt to the change? It looks like it’s his last option.

The 24 year old former first round pick is considering moving to the outfield. The 7 overall pick in the 2013 MLB Draft has had a rough go on the mound during his minor league career, posting a career 5.02 ERA in six seasons.

While taking on hitting at the end of Portland’s season, he went 1-9 at the plate, with an RBI double in his last at bat. The interesting part in all of this: he was a two way player throughout his high school career. His double was the first swing for him in a competitive game in over five years.

Image result for trey ball hitting

Alex Speier of the Boston Globe had an interview with Ben Crockett, Red Sox VP of player development. ” It’s definitely not a conversion at this time,” said Red Sox vice president of player development Ben Crockett. “There’s still good things with his stuff. “He’s been taking [batting practice] for a while. He continues to pitch. That’s kind of how we mapped it out for him — more exploratory than anything else. We’re still kind of in that initial stage at this point.” 

While many position players have made this transition: Mookie, Ian Desmond, Dee Gordon, Robin Yount, Jackie Robinson, and Pete Rose just to name a few. Although this list is of star proportions, this could workout very well for both parties. While he is still currently on a rookie contract this season, he made a cool $2.275 million. ( according to spotrac.com)

While we cannot compare his ability just yet, we can speculate he might be able to pull it off. The six foot six southpaw certainly has the quickness and size, but the key is having the ability to track down the fly ball consistently. With all new transitions, it will take time. Only time will tell if he can successfully adjust, not only in the outfield, but out of AA baseball.