Tag Archives: Baltimore Orioles

RED SOX – ORIOLES SERIES PREVIEW

Two games into the series with the Rangers and it looked like disaster was about to strike. The Rangers came into Fenway and took the first two games of the series against the odds. However, the Red Sox pulled themselves together and managed to come out on top in the final two games. Now they head to Baltimore hoping to have another “get right” road series.

6/10 Eduardo Rodriguez vs. TBD 7:05 pm NESN

6/11 Chris Sale vs. Dylan Bundy (R) 4:05 pm NESN

6/12 TBD vs. John Means (L) 1:05 pm NESN

NOTABLE NUMBERS

PITCHERS

Chris Sales numbers in his last two outings are simply incredible. The veteran left-hander has thrown a total of 16 innings without allowing an earned run to score. What makes it even more impressive is that in those two starts he has allowed a total of six hits and one walk, while striking out 22. He has now struck out 10 or more in eight of his last 10 starts, and has given up three or more earned runs in just two of those 10 starts.

John Means has taken the majors by storm this season. The left-handed pitcher has a 2.60 ERA in his 15 games, including 11 starts. However, he has been especially good at home, allowing just six earned runs in 34 1/3 innings. Additionally, he has also had some success against the Red Sox, allowing just two runs to score in 12 innings.

The Red Sox can feel fairly comfortable in knowing what they will get when they face Dylan Bundy on Saturday. The veteran right-handed pitcher has a 4.50 ERA in 70 innings this season. In his last 10 starts, he has allowed between 2-and-4 earned runs in eight of those, averaging around one home run allowed per outing. However, for the Orioles, his performances are significantly improved since the start of the season. As of April 16th, he had a 7.79 ERA, which he has now managed to get down to 4.50 in the subsequent 10 starts.

HITTERS

Camden Yards should offer a chance for the Red Sox offense to have some fun. According to ESPN’s park factors, Camden Yards ranks third in runs, and fifth in home runs this season. The pitching matchups are not the easiest, especially against John Means, but this is the park for the Red Sox hitters to start hitting their groove.

Despite having the fifth best park for home runs, the Orioles offense ranks just 20th in home runs this season. In fact, scoring runs in general has been hard, as they rank 26th in that category too. Not only should this series be a good chance for the offense to find some rhythm, but the pitchers as well.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Pitching: Once again that fifth starter spot is in the limelight. Darwinzon Hernandez and Ryan Weber have both had shots, but neither has stuck. Hector Velazquez and of course Nathan Eovaldi are on the injured list. Both will return before the end of the season, but the Red Sox are not in the luxurious position of being able to afford to give away one out of every five games with their fifth starter. Hopefully, a start against the Orioles can be the kick start someone needs to make the job their own for a little while.

Hitting: Incredibly all seven of the Red Sox runs came via the home run in the final game of their series with the Rangers. The five home runs they scored in that game were even more impressive, given they averaged just one per game in the rest of the series. The long ball has been a struggle for the Red Sox this season, as they rank just 12th in the majors. For a lineup stacked with the likes of J.D. Martinez, Mookie Betts, Steve Pearce, and Mitch Moreland, that is extremely disappointing. Hopefully they can add a few more multi-homer games this weekend.

EXPECTATIONS

If the start of the Rangers series was disappointing, the way the Red Sox bounced back was encouraging. It would have been easy to have folded, especially when the Rangers jumped out to a two-run lead in the third game. However, the offense fought back in both game, and they came away with a damage control split series.

Now they need to go and cash in against the Orioles, who are the worst team in the major leagues. The Orioles sit 21-46 with a -133 run differential and having won just three of their last 10. The Red Sox will head to the red hot Minnesota Twins after this series, so it is imperative they at least take two of these three games from the Orioles

RED SOX – ORIOLES SERIES PREVIEW

Leave a reply

This weekend is one of my favorite as a Red Sox fan, culminating in Patriots Day. Hopefully this year, the Patriots Day series can inspire the Red Sox to turn their season around.

PITCHING MATCHUPS/SCHEDULE (TV)

4/12 Eduardo Rodriguez vs. David Hess (R) 7:10pm NESN

4/13 Rick Porcello vs. Andrew Cashner (R) 1:05pm NESN

4/14 David Price vs. John Means (L) 1:05pm NESN

4/15 Chris Sale vs. Dan Straily (R) 11:05am NESN

NOTABLE NUMBERS

In what is becoming the weekly Chris Sale report, we enter another stage of this saga. Sale’s average fastball velocity was back at 92 mph, after being 89.9 in the previous start in Oakland. The results against Toronto still were not what we want to see, and the fastball still sits a couple of mph below his career average. Let’s see what Monday brings.

The Orioles enter this series after losing their last series 1-3 to the Athletics. Offensively they struggled in the last three games, averaging just 3.33 runs per game. Overall this season the Orioles rank 22nd in OBP, 21st in home runs and 21st in slugging percentage this season.

The Red Sox offense is continuing to heat up over the last few games. Now they face up against an Orioles pitching staff which ranks 29th in ERA, WHIP and batting average against.

None of the pitchers scheduled to start for the Orioles have much history against the Red Sox. The Oriole with the most appearances against the Red Sox is first baseman Chris Davis. In 595 PA against the Red Sox, he owns a .220 batting average, .299 OBP, .393 slugging percentage and 23 home runs.

Mitch Moreland went deep again in the first game of the Blue Jays series. Entering the second game of that series, he leads the Red Sox with four home runs on the season. With another three right-handed pitchers on the slate, he could play a big part once again in this series.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

The Bullpen: With a three run lead in the ninth on Tuesday Matt Barnes got the save opportunity, but after giving up a run the save was completed by Colten Brewer. It will be interesting to see who sees the next save opportunity. The smart money is likely on Ryan Brasier, but it is interesting that he did not get a shot on Tuesday.

Starting Pitching: There are still a lot of questions around this rotation, with all five starters having an ERA over five right now. After six games against the relatively slow starting Blue Jays and Orioles it would be good to see the rotation show some promising signs. Hector Velazquez was interesting in his spot start and could have a shot at the rotation if these struggles continue.

EXPECTATIONS

If the Red Sox can finish of the Blue Jays series with a win and then sweep the Orioles they could be close to .500. After starting 3-8 on the road, they need to at least win four these six games. They have already lost one, meaning they can only really afford one more loss in this home stand.

If they head into New York next Tuesday much worse than 7-10, then questions are really going to start to be raised. We are by no means too far into the season for this to turnaround. However, losing series to the Orioles and Blue Jays would be pretty concerning for a team with World Series ambitions.

MLB Season Win Totals: Over/Unders

Leave a reply

The build up to the start of the baseball season is always a lot of fun for many reasons. Maybe you love fantasy baseball, or maybe you just love the sounds, smells and feelings that come with baseball. The start of the season brings something for everyone, and that includes the gamblers among us. Last week as a staff we looked at some of our MVP and Cy Young picks. If you are looking to have a bet on those markets you can find our feelings there. Instead I will focus on the season win totals and try to identify some juicy over/under bets for you to take advantage of.

I will start with the Red Sox but there is not really a bet to be had. The starting line is set at 94.5, a whopping 13.5 wins less than they had last season. However, when you look closer at elements such as the Pythagorean win total (103) and their record in one score games (25-14) there is room for regression in that total. Add in the lack of a lock down closer and a win total in the mid-90s is a very likely outcome.

Houston Astros Over 96.5

It may seem aggressive to project any team to win more than 96.5 games, but the Astros have the talent to do it. They are perhaps the best all-around team in the American League and their division rivals often blow hot and cold. Last season they won 103 games, but their Pythagorean total was even higher at 108. Additionally, that record came despite just being .500 in one run games. The combination of the Pythagorean total and the one-run record suggest to me the Astros could get over 100 wins once again this season.

Milwaukee Brewers Under 86.5

2019 is a fascinating season for the darlings of the 2018 season. The Brewers stunned the league and nearly made it all the way to the NLCS. However, the fact that were a surprise package means there are question marks for 2019. Their rotation lacks both ace level upside and struggles for depth. They also play in a division which has quality from 1-5, which could make repeating their 96 win season tough. Equally their Pythagorean win total was five lower at 91, and their record in one run games was a whopping 33-19. Both of those numbers scream regression, and combined with my other concerns I think the Brewers slip back to a .500 baseball team this season.

Los Angeles Dodgers Over 93.5

Another super aggressive projection for a relatively high win total. However, they were actually relatively unlucky to only win 92 games, as their Pythagorean win total was up at 102 wins. No team in the majors had a bigger difference between those two totals. The Dodgers have lost some quality offensively, but they still have a ton of talent. In addition, their rotation has both the high end skill and the depth that you want from a major contender. The Dodgers will be right there come playoff conversation time this season.

Baltimore Orioles Under 59.5

To end let’s bring this back to the AL East, the 2018 last placed team overall. The Orioles finished the season with 47 wins and they may actually have been lucky to get that many. The Orioles won an incredible 70% of their one run games in 2018. If that regressed back towards 50% this season they could struggle to reach 45 wins. However, they were slightly hard done by last season if their Pythagorean win total of 55 is to be believed. The issue there is that even if that was true they would still have been four wins below their over/under this season. A team that was that bad, and actually lost talent during the season, is a prime candidate to be bad again.

Image credit: Sports Illustrated

Can The Red Sox Get To 116 Wins?

Leave a reply

While the Red Sox have an unprecedented 85-35 win loss record, can they catch up to a record only two teams have ever achieved before?

116 wins, something only two teams have ever won that many games in a single season. The 2001 Seattle Mariners and the 1906 Chicago Cubs. The only difference… the 1906 Cubs played 152 games that year. This 2018 Red Sox team currently holds a .708 win percentage, however, there are still 42 games to be played.

The path to 116

With 42 games left in the regular season, the Red Sox would have to go 31-11 to finish the season. With 7 games against the Indians, 6 against the Yankees, and 3 against the defending champs as the hard part of the remaining schedule. Can this team achieve a .739 winning percentage during the last stretch? It’s definitely up for debate.

Who can help?

The numerous games with teams such as the Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles, and Toronto Blue Jays should be a promising sign, as long as they don’t lose easy games. Although there will be more frequent rest periods, ( including innings limits for starters), Alex Cora will still manage this team to be more competitive and hungry than the game before.

With MVP candidates Mookie Betts and J.D Martinez still staying hot at the plate, is there any wonder to how this team became so amazing? We cannot forget to mention David Price, Xander Bogaerts, Chris Sale, and all of the other guys who keep this team competitive. This team really has adapted the New England Patriot way of next guy up mentality. They way Boston sports has evolved into team equality has been astonishing to see.

What are the odds?

While finding the exact odds are improbable, they do have some numbers on their side. Out of their remaining schedule, 24 of the games are at home, while owning the leagues best home win loss record. The team has a 9-1 record throughout their last 10 games. They have never lost more than three games consecutively all season long.

No matter what happens a strong playoff run looks imminent. as long as the team comes out of the regular season as injury-less as possible, I and fellow members of Red Sox nation can sleep well at night.

What do you think?

Comment,share,tag,tweet,like, and follow to let us know what you think! Let your opinion be heard.

Manny Machado to LA Needs to Happen

Leave a reply

The fact Manny Machado is still in a Baltimore Orioles uniform is a concern. Mainly because Machado was predicted to be traded this past off-season. Rumors circulated that Machado could have been dealt to the Yankees, and thank God we avoided that nightmare. So the question is, “If traded, where will Manny Machado land?” That destination has to be the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the timing for that to happen is inevitable.

A Surprise Job Opening

Let’s take a little trip back in time. In September 2015, the Dodgers called up a twenty-one year old shortstop named Corey Seager. Since then, you can say he has been their guy with the bat and in the field. Seager hit .337 in that one month during 2015 and possessed a .949 fielding percentage. In 2016, however, Seager really made his mark. In his first full season, Seager accumulated a .308 BA with 27 home runs and 72 RBI’s. He also took home National League Rookie of the Year honors, a Silver Slugger and an All-Star appearance in 2016 as well. In 2017, Seager was also on the All-Star Game roster and a Silver Slugger award winner for a consecutive year.

So Corey Seager’s pretty good at baseball and has been the backbone of the Dodgers since his emergence in the league. This season however, Seager’s season was cut short due to after being diagnosed with Tommy John and needing surgery which ended his 2018 campaign. With a huge hole in the Dodgers lineup a move must be made to replace Corey Seager. That move has to be bringing Manny Machado to Los Angeles.

Could It Happen?

Machado, who is now a shortstop, is an ideal fit for the club, and it’s a no-brainer. Machado is entering his final season with Baltimore and is looking to take his talents elsewhere. With Baltimore clearly in a rebuilding stage and the Dodgers possessing one of the top farm systems, it will surely benefit both clubs. With Machado going to Los Angeles, it would provide some bright prospects in the Dodgers organization to benefit a ball club like the Orioles.

Machado replacing Corey Seager is an ideal situation that needs to happen. Although the Braves and Yankees could be possible destinations as well, this deal would seem to make the most sense. If a deal is not made by Los Angeles and Baltimore it would be a waste of an opportunity for both clubs.

Boston Red Sox vs Oakland Athletics Series Recap

Leave a reply

The Red Sox will be back home in Boston after their 11 day road trip. Facing the Oakland Athletics are Rick Porcello, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Chris Sale. The Sox have won the last seven out of 13 games, while Oakland won five out the last 12 games. The Red Sox will face pitcher Sean Manaea for the first time since his no hitter game in April. The Sox hope that being on Fenway soil will help them defeat the Athletics. This series will also be the last time that the Red Sox will face the Athletics during the regular season.

Porcello vs. Manaea

Sean Manaea pitched a no hitter to the Red Sox last month. J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers each hit a solo home run for the Red Sox. Porcello let up five runs and nine hits over six innings, and struck out five. Trailing in the fourth inning, the Athletics grasped the lead with three runs. Lucroy had a two-run double into the left-field corner before Fowler tripled off the Monster. The Red Sox caught up 4-3 in the fifth, when Hanley Ramirez scored a run with a ground ball. J.D. Martinez hit straight out to the Sox bullpen in the eighth to score. Benintendi and Ramirez got back to back RBI singles. Unfortunately, it was not enough, and Oakland won Monday night’s game 6-5.

“We talked about not expanding down in the zone,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “Overall, we did a good job of it. His stuff is still good.”

“2B Dustin Pedroia (recovering from offseason left knee surgery) started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket. He singled and scored a run in three at-bats while playing five innings at second base.”

Rodriguez vs. Mengden

Due to the weather, the 7:10 start time moved to 8:50 on Tuesday night. As a result, Oakland beat the Sox in nine innings. Rodriguez took his first loss of the season after Oakland had six hits through the first three innings, starting with back-to-back singles by Semien and Pinder to start the game. Piscotty hit a monster home run out of Fenway Park in his first at-bat against Rodriguez. Piscotty’s home run was the first he had hit since his mother’s death on May 6th. Andrew Benintendi hit a homer and Mitch Moreland hit two doubles.

“It was pure joy. It’s been an emotional week,” said Piscotty, whose mother, Gretchen, died May 6 after a one-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. She was 55.”

“We haven’t been able to put them away,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “They’re young and it seems like they’re turning a corner. Whatever they’re doing over there is pretty good.”

Sale vs. Cahill – A Sale Day Win to Avoid an Athletics Series Sweep

In Rafael Devers’s 100th major league game, the Sox came out with a win. Xander Bogaerts hit a three run homer, and J.D. Martinez hit a two run homer. Chris Sale gave up two runs and two hits in five innings. Sale also struck out nine and walked four. Trevor Cahill gave up three runs out of the first four batters he faced. After Sale’s career high 15 strikouts in his last outing, he struggled, but hung on long enough to keep the Sox up over the Athletics. Craig Kimbrel grasped his 12th save of the season and avoided the Sox meeting their season high losing streak. The Sox beat the Athletics 6-4 after Xander and J.D. had quite the night.

“It’s pretty impressive what he does when you’re behind looking at him,” Bogaerts said. “Normally I’m a guy who gets to the on-deck circle a little bit later. I’ve got to get there early if he swings at the first pitch and gets a hit. He hits some bombs on the first pitch.”

“Four walks, that’s not my game,” Sale said. “That’s not who I am. Obviously, you want to be better than that. Anytime your bullpen throws almost as many innings as you do, that’s not what you’re looking for.”

Up Next

The Red Sox will be at home again to face the Orioles for a four game series starting Thursday. David Price will be up first for his Fenway return. Dustin Pedroia will play another game in Pawtucket by the end of the week as Tuesday night’s game was postponed due to the weather. Jackie Bradley Jr. is still spending an immense amount of time on the bench as he has constantly had bad games. Cora is hoping that Bradley Jr. will come out of his slump soon, as he has been working on improving both his defense and his offense.

Sources

Statcast

MLB

Red Sox Twitter

NESN

ESPN

Division Predictions: AL East

Leave a reply

We FINALLY have arrived at the American League East. A division that should be run strictly by Boston and New York. The talent both teams possess makes these two no doubters to finish at numbers one and two. Toronto and Baltimore will look to play supporting roles in the division. Tampa Bay will be present in the division, but nothing more than mediocre. Here is the outlook:

Tampa Bay Rays

Chris Archer will be the anchor of this ball club. With the loss of Logan Morrison, Chris Archer is the face of Tampa Bay. With Denard Span and Carlos Gomez playing supporting roles, these three are the only ones likely to produce this season.

Baltimore Orioles

The addition of Alex Cobb is huge for Baltimore’s rotation that is led by Dylan Bundy. Baltimore is unfortunately one of those teams that has a hot start, then declines as the season goes on. Chris Davis, Adam Jones, and Manny Machado will be the key players to watch closely this season for the Orioles. The main storyline that will be coming out of Baltimore, “Will Machado be with the club past the trade deadline?”

Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto will be interesting this season. The addition of Curtis Granderson replaces the veteran presence in the outfield Jose Bautista had brought each season. Marcus Stroman looks as good as can be and will be the ace of the staff, despite J.A. Happ getting the ball opening day. Josh Donaldson and Justin Smoak anchor the lineup, looking to be the power force in the order. The question out of Toronto, “Will Donaldson stay?”

New York Yankees

The Yankees made the ALCS last season during a “rebuild year”. With the addition of Giancarlo Stanton, they went from a scary lineup to just downright frightening. With the likes of Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez included in the core part of the order, they have the best power lineup in baseball. Their problem? Pitching. The two top guys in the rotation are Cy Young candidate Luis Servino and Masahiro Tanaka. Once you get past them it’s a toss-up in regards to consistency. C.C. Sabathia, Sonny Grey, and Jordan Montgomery will look to execute in regards to consistent success in the rotation. Delin Bentances and Aroldis Chapman will be the leaders out of the pen for New York. They have all the tools and necessities to win a title. Can the pitching late in the rotation step up?

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are winning the 2018 World Series. They have the pitching in Chris Sale, David Price, and Rick Porcello with a strong supporting cast behind them. New York may have the power, but Boston has the consistency in their lineup that can take them further than the Yankees. Benintendi looks on fire this spring, so we can assume to expect a good amount from Benny this season. Mookie Betts, newcomer J.D. Martinez, Rafael Devers, Hanley Ramirez, and Jackie Bradley Jr. will look to continue to shine during the season. The acquisition of J.D. this off-season matches Boston up with New York in regards to power and consistency in their lineups. Boston’s key to success to not only the division, but the season: pitching. Boston in 7.

Final Standings

Boston Red Sox

New York Yankees

Baltimore Orioles

Toronto Blue Jays

Tampa Bay Rays

2018 is a Critical Year for Rodriguez

Leave a reply

What a Healthy E Rod Would Mean

When the Red Sox acquired Eduardo Rodriguez for Andrew Miller, he was a top prospect. In his first year in Boston he impressed, going 10-6 as a rookie. In his MLB debut against the Texas Rangers he threw seven and two thirds scoreless innings. The Sox were in the middle of a lost year and he was seen as the future. Since that season Eduardo has struggled with health and performance. He’s shown flashes of the talent that once had him projected as a top of the rotation starter, but has not been consistent. This upcoming season will be big for Eduardo as he looks to prove people wrong.

Photo Credit: AP Photo/ Steven Senne

Rodriguez’s Early Days

Once the Sox acquired the lefty from Baltimore, he became their best pitching prospect. On the same day the Red Sox acquired Rodriguez they traded John Lackey and fan favorite John Lester. The Red Sox were rebuilding, and Rodriguez immediately became a key part of the future. Eduardo was solid and his rookie year was promising. Like any other rookie he went rough his growing pains particularly with framing his pitches. Rodriguez made the necessary adjustments and finished the season strong. 2016 was a different story for Rodriguez.

Photo Credit: Boston Globe

Rodriguez Struggles

In 2016 Eduardo battled injuries and struggled with his performance. His ERA rose from 3.85 in his rookie season to 4.71. He finished the season with three wins and seven losses. The once talented prospect from a stats perspective took a major regression. The season was not a lost cause, however, as during the second half of the 2016 season he rebounded. In the second half he pitched to a 3.24 ERA compared to his first half ERA of 6.89. His strikeout rate also improved in the second half of the season to 9.2. This was what made him so successful in the minors. Going into 2017 hopes were still high for Rodriguez.

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Colin E. Braley

2017 Season and the Lefty’s Future

In 2017 the story was the same for the former top prospect. He struggled to stay on the field as he battled knee issues. Going into next season he has one more chance. The Sox have Price, Chris Sale, and Drew Pomeranz at the top of the rotation. This means Rodriguez does not have to be the savior he was once seen as. If he can pitch to his potential, then the Sox could have another ace in the back end of the rotation. Rodriguez still has electric stuff he just needs to stay healthy. The Sox haven’t given up on him and in 2018 Rodriguez will look to reward their faith.