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Red Sox-White Sox Series Recap

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Another series has come and gone for the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox played the Chicago White Sox in a three game series at Fenway Park before taking off to London to play the Yankees. Boston came away with a two out of three series win over the A.L. Central White Sox. Here is a recap of the whole series.

Monday Night: Red Sox 6 White Sox 5

The Red Sox found a way to win on Monday night. They survived game one of the series with a 6-5 win over the White Sox. Marco Hernandez was the hero as he hit an infield single to shortstop to drive home the game winning run. Eduardo Nunez and Andrew Benintendi led the way offensively for the Red Sox as they had two hits a piece.

On the pitching side, Eduardo Rodriguez got the start and pitched adequately. He finished the night throwing 6 and 1/3 innings while giving up six hits, five earned runs, two walks, and four strikeouts. The impressive part of this game was the bullpen. The bullpen combined to give up 0 earned runs while giving up two hits, two walks, and had six strikeouts in 2 and 2/3 innings. Credit to the Red Sox bullpen for getting the Red Sox the opening win of the series!

Tuesday Night: Red Sox 6 White Sox 3

In the second game of the three game series, the Red Sox found themselves as winners once again. They came away with a 6-3 over the White Sox in what was a convincing win. Offensively in this one, it was the Rafael Devers show. Devers finished the game going 4-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Xander Bogaerts had a two run homerun in this game as well.

David Price got the start in this one and he continued to dominate as he has the whole season. Price went 6 innings. He gave up two earned runs on eight hits while also compiling nine strikeouts on the night. The bullpen once again did a fantastic job closing this game out. The combination of Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier, and Brandon Workman gave up no runs, with two hits, one walk, and six strikeouts to their credit. This was another complete effort for the Red Sox to win game two of the series and ultimately win the series as well.

Wednesday Afternoon: White Sox 8 Red Sox 7

The Red Sox tried to finish off the sweep of the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday afternoon. Unfortunately, they fell just a little bit short. The Red Sox ended up losing the series finale by a score of 8-7. The White Sox were able to pull through, thanks to a Jose Abreu two run homerun off of Matt Barnes in the top of the ninth inning.

Offensively, the lineup was pretty balanced in this one. Rafael Devers had three more hits. Xander Bogaerts had two hits of his own, including a go ahead single in the bottom of the eighth inning to put the Red Sox up 7-6. J.D. Martinez, Michael Chavis, and Jackie Bradley Jr. also had two hits a piece during the game.

For the pitching staff, Chris Sale had the start in this one. He gave up five runs on six hits, while striking out 10. Steven Wright made his 2019 debut and had a strikeout in one inning of work. Matt Barnes was the losing pitcher in this one as he gave up two runs on three hits.

In Conclusion

The Red Sox should have realistically swept this series. But, two out of three is always successful. Now, the Red Sox get to play in London for an upcoming two game series against the Yankees. Salvage a split or even sweep of the brief series and come back to the states ready to close out the first half of the season on a positive note!

This Upcoming White Sox Series Is Huge For The Red Sox

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The Boston Red Sox are coming off of a rather disappointing series with the Toronto Blue Jays. They lost two out of three at home and continue to underachieve so far this 2019 season. But fear not Red Sox fans, there is still plenty of time left to get back into the divisional race! The Red Sox welcome the Chicago White Sox to Fenway Park for a three game series, starting today. But, what people do not realize is that this series is huge for the Red Sox for multiple reasons.

They Are Under .500 At Home Right Now

You read that correctly. The Red Sox currently sit under .500 at home, with an 18-19 record at Fenway Park. The obvious reason for this series being crucial is to get the Red Sox back to .500 or better at home. Red Sox fans know with this team that they play much better at home, historically. With the green monster at their disposal, they can use it for more extra base hits which will lead to more runs, which then leads to more wins. What a concept! But on a serious note, the Red Sox could use a sweep of the White Sox to get themselves back on track when they play at home.

They Have Most Of Their Top Starters For This Series

The Red Sox starters favor the White Sox starters throughout the whole series, with the exception of Lucas Giolito. The Red Sox get to see Giolito tonight while they counter with Eduardo Rodriguez. Rodriguez has done well lately as he has averaged seven innings in his past two starts. He is also 3-1 with a 4.00 ERA in six starts at Fenway this season. This season, Giolito has a 10-2 record with a 2.74 ERA. In other words, he’s a stud. It looks tough on paper for tonight, but it’s baseball; anything can happen in this game. The rest of the series, you have David Price and Chris Sale to close out the series. Price has been consistent throughout the season so far. Sale has found his form lately. However, he has not won a start at Fenway this season. Their better pitchers are throwing in this series. Therefore, the Red Sox should win at least two out of three.

The Red Sox Go To London Right After

After the White Sox series, the Red Sox hop on a plane to go to London to take on the Yankees for a two game set. Between the flight, time differences, and everything else in between, the Red Sox might not play their best games. That’s another reason why they need to play so well at Fenway these next three days. Win the series, get some momentum back, and do your best to split or even sweep the series against the Yankees. We know the Red Sox can do it, now they just have to execute.

In Conclusion

The Red Sox need a spark and this could be it. By beating the White Sox handily at Fenway, it can hopefully get them some momentum as the first half of the season winds down. The White Sox are not like the Yankees, Astros, or Indians. They are a team that the Red Sox should beat with relative ease. Don’t mess around and go get this series win!

Red Sox-Twins Series Recap

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The Boston Red Sox had quite the task these past three games. They played a Minnesota Twins team that has surprised many people this season. They are leading the American League Central by nine games. Red Sox fans were hoping that they could win this series against the Twins and turn a corner. They did just that as they took two out of three from the Twins. Let’s take a look back at the series, game by game.

Game 1: Red Sox 2 Twins 0

The Red Sox came into Target Field on Monday night looking to get off on the right foot. They did just that with a 2-0 victory. Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi started the inning with back to back hits before J.D. Martinez stepped to the plate. Martinez hit an RBI single to left field to drive home Mookie Betts for a 1-0 Sox lead.

The game would stay that way as both offenses would be shut down through the next seven innings. However, that changed in the ninth inning. With a runner on second and two outs, Xander Bogaerts hit a double to right center field. That put the Red Sox up 2-0 as that would conclude the scoring for the night.

While the offense was fairly quiet, Rick Porcello was the star of the night. He threw seven innings while giving up four hits, one walk, and eight strikeouts. Porcello came out and held one of the better offenses in baseball in check. It was a great start for him and for the Red Sox in this series.

Game 2: Twins 4 Red Sox 3 (17 Innings)

This one didn’t end up as great as the first one, as the Red Sox lost in 17 innings. There were some good highlights for the Red Sox in this one however. Rafael Devers had a go ahead homerun in the top of the seventh inning to keep up his hot first half of the 2019 season. Jackie Bradley Jr. just so happened to make another phenomenal catch in the seventh inning to keep a 2-1 lead at the time. Oh yeah, and Christian Vazquez picked off a runner at third base, so that was pretty cool!

The game ended with a Max Kepler single to walk it off in the 17th inning. Kepler also hit a homerun in the bottom of the 13th inning to tie the game 3-3. Brian Johnson suffered the loss on the mound. He gave up three hits, one walk, and one run in 1/3 of an inning pitched.

Even though the Red Sox lost this one, there were a lot of good things to highlight. Ryan Brasier and Matt Barnes threw scoreless innings. Benintendi, Brock Hot, and Devers each had three hits in the game as well. Plus, remember that it took the Twins 17 innings to beat the Red Sox. So, take that for what it’s worth.

Game 3: Red Sox 9 Twins 4

In game three, the Red Sox offense showed up. They scored nine runs and were able to come away with a 9-4 win. Eduardo Rodriguez had a gusty performance in this one. He pitched seven innings, gave up four runs, surrendered three walks while striking out nine batters. This wasn’t his best by any means, but it was good enough for the win. Rodriguez wasn’t the only one making contributions toward the Sox win last night. Xander Bogaerts had another milestone in his career, as he hit his 200th career double.

The Sox have won seven of their last eight. They also earned a series win, on the road, against a very good Twins team. Winning two out of three games is good in any series. For this Red Sox team, beating the Twins two out of three is a great sign for a lackluster 2019 season thus far.


This was a good sign for the Sox. They proved they can beat a good team on the road. Now, they can hopefully keep that momentum up with Toronto coming to town. There were many contributions from a lot of different players, which is the sign of a good team. Could the Red Sox have finally turned a corner? Stay tuned to find out!

Chris Sale Is Back!

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Chris Sale is without a doubt one of the best pitchers in the MLB. If he wasn’t as good as advertised, the Boston Red Sox would not have gone out of their way to trade for the left-handed pitcher back in the 2016-2017 off-season. The Red Sox made out well with Sale, as he has led them both on and off the field. Of course, no pitcher is going to be dominant every start for the duration of his career.

Sale struggled early on in the month of April. It looked like his fastball velocity was a bit down compared to years past. He struggled to get hitters to chase his slider. It just didn’t look like the Chris Sale Red Sox fans were so used to seeing. But things have changed recently and for the better!

May and June have been much better months for the Red Sox Ace. In the last month Sale is 2-2, but he has a 2.12 ERA in that span. When your starting pitcher is giving up 2-3 runs a game, you take that every single time. You start to feel confident every time Sale takes the mound from this point forward, and that the offense will back him up.

Chris Sale And The 10 Strikeout Game

The most important statistic that stands out is the amount of 10 strikeout games Chris Sale has lately. Think of it this way: striking out 10 batters in 6 innings of work has Sale striking out 55% of the hitters he faces in an MLB game. That is pretty scary to think about.


The Run Support Factor

I mean, eight starts of having at least 10 strikeouts or more in any given game? Those are video game numbers! Remember what I mentioned earlier about Sale struggling to get swings and misses on his slider? It looks like he rediscovered the pitch, because you can’t strikeout every hitter in the MLB with just a fastball. Sale dominating and throwing games of 10 strikeouts or more also helps the bullpen rest.

Another thing we have to consider is the run support factor. Sale has really turned it on for the Red Sox, even when the offense has a few off nights. Here’s a fun statistic for everyone to look at:


In the six starts that Pete Abraham breaks down here, Sale throws 41 total innings while giving up nine total runs. In the top half of the statistics shown above, three of those starts resulted in Sale giving up one run. This man has made some big adjustments. They are truly showing as Sale looks to be regaining his Cy Young caliber form. Keep in mind, this was before the Baltimore start. In that Baltimore start, he went six innings while giving up six hits, two earned runs, one walk, and 10 strikeouts.

In Conclusion

It is very simple if you are a Red Sox fan. You need for Chris Sale to continue to improve and go back to being the Chris Sale that the rest of the league fears. Bring that Sale back regularly and the Red Sox will be closer to first than we all realize. For any fan that said Chris Sale wasn’t worth the money in April, I hope you were paying close attention in May and so for in June.

After it is all said and done, there is one conclusion we can all come to: Chris Sale is officially BACK! Let the tour to a repeat continue.

Red Sox, Twins

RED SOX – TWINS SERIES PREVIEW

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As we expected the Red Sox enjoyed their trip to Baltimore. The results in Baltimore ensured that whatever happens in this series, they will still be above .500 when they return home. Now they head into Minnesota to face the team with the second best record in the American League.

6/10 Rick Porcello vs. Jose Berrios (R) 8:10 pm NESN

6/11 David Price vs. Michael Pineda (R) 8:10 pm NESN

6/12 Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Kyle Gibson (L) 8:10 pm NESN

NOTABLE NUMBERS

PITCHERS

I raved about the home ERAs of some of the Red Sox pitchers in a previous preview. Well, the counter to that is some pretty ugly road ERAs, especially for Porcello and Rodriguez. Porcello is the worst of the group, with a 6.37 road ERA, but Rodriguez is close behind with 5.23 road ERA. That is just a small problem when you are heading to face the highest scoring team in the major leagues.

Things have come together for Berrios and Gibson this season. Both have ERA’s below four, and below their career averages. Their numbers have largely been driven by their performances in Minnesota. Berrios has a 2.53 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP at home. As for Gibson, he is even better at home, with 2.70 ERA and an impressive 0.79 WHIP.

The 2019 season has not been as rosy for Pineda, who had an up and down start but has had a relatively consistent spell recently. His season-long ERA is 5.04, and at home, it is up to 5.20. However, the consistency he has shown recently has been impressive. Six of his last seven starts have seen him allow three earned runs. The one exception was last time out against Seattle, when he allowed just one earned run. He will be hoping to take that good run into this start against Boston.

HITTERS

The Twins have some things to shout about offensively this season. They lead the majors in runs, home runs, ISO, batting average and slugging. That is a pretty amazing combination and helps to explain just why they are in control of the AL Central. However, their home form is not that great in comparison. They rank seventh in home runs, 11th in runs and 13th in batting average. If there is a place to face them, then actually, in Minnesota is not a bad option.

The Red Sox started the season with an 11-game road trip. They went 3-8 in that nightmare season opening. Since then things have improved somewhat. The Red Sox are now 22-17 on the road. That is a remarkable turnaround, with a 19-9 record in their last 28 road games. Their offense has been a big part of that, as they rank fifth in runs and home runs, and sixth in batting average away from Fenway. Right now the Red Sox are a team of road warriors

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Pitching: The Baltimore series may have given the Red Sox an option for their fifth starter. However, now they need to sort out starters three and four. As things stand, the Red Sox are looking at a Wildcard berth. And with that, they will need to win on the road to go deep in the playoffs. They cannot afford for two of their starters to be a liability on the road. What better time to prove they have it worked out than in the home of one of the best teams in the American League.

Hitting: After struggling to hit home runs again the Rangers the Red Sox put it right in the first game of the series. In that game alone they hit six home runs. Unfortunately, they followed that up with just one home run in the next two games combined. However, scoring seven runs in one of those games is just as promising as a game full of power. Being able to move men over and drive them in is going to be huge through the rest of the season, and the Sox cannot just rely on the long ball.

EXPECTATIONS

Before the season you would have said it would be disappointing if the Red Sox did not come out of Minnesota with two wins from this series. Now? Frankly, you would be happy just to get away from the Twins with a single win, and your dignity left intact. The sweep in Baltimore has bought the Red Sox some grace, by ensuring that no matter what they will be above .500 when they take on Toronto.

The Twins are a very good baseball team, but their slight Achilles heel has been their home form. Unfortunately, two of the Red Sox pitchers also have a serious issue on the road this season. Right now getting out of here with a single win will be more than good enough. Then they can hope to put the pedal down against the Blue Jays and White Sox in the following week. However, if Price can get the best of Pineda, then just one of Porcello and Rodriguez need a good start to make this a successful series. It will be tough, but imagine the confidence if they do win two or more in this series!

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.

RED SOX – RAYS SERIES PREVIEW

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A get right trip to Kansas City now means that the Red Sox are on a run of four straight wins, putting them just 6.5 games behind the Yankees. They now return home for another tough week against some talented teams. The second-placed Tampa Bay Rays are first up this weekend. This weekend is a crowded one, with a double-header on Saturday, and a matchup with Blake Snell on Sunday.

6/7 Rick Porcello vs. Yonny Chirinos (R) 6:10 pm NESN

6/8 David Price vs. Ryan Yarbrough (L) 1:05 pm NESN

6/8 TBD vs. TBD 6:10 pm NESN

6/1 Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Blake Snell (L) 1:05 pm NESN

NOTABLE NUMBERS

PITCHERS

The Rays rotation is so tough to analyze because it is an ever-changing beast. That is further complicated by both teams not knowing who will pitch in the second half of the doubleheader on Saturday. The one sure-fire starter is Blake Snell, who has a 3.66 ERA this season. However, 16 of his 27 earned runs have been given up on the road. Those road starts have been mixed, as he has shut down the Yankees in New York, but was then shelled by both the Royals and Tigers. In fact, 13 of those 16 road earned runs came in those two starts. It will be interesting to see which version of “Road Snell” Boston see this weekend.

As for the other two starters, they are Yonny Chirinos and Ryan Yarbrough. Both of those pitchers have been used in interesting ways this season. Chirinos has started in 6-of-12 outings this season, and Yabrough in just 2-of-8. Chirinos has had success in both roles, with a 2.78 ERA as a starter and a 3.91 ERA as a reliever. On the other hand, Yarbrough has a 5.65 ERA as a starter and 6.64 as a reliever. Additionally, Yarbough allowed three earned in three innings last time against Boston.

For the three Red Sox starters we know will take the mound, home is where the heart is this season. All three have better ERAs in Fenway Park than on the road. Price leads the pack with a 0.95 home ERA and a 0.75 WHIP. Porcello’s ERA sits at 3.52 with a 1.23 WHIP, and Rodriguez has a 3.56 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP. Let’s hope for another strong set of performances from these pitchers this weekend.

HITTERS

On the hitting side, things have been a little more mixed for the Red Sox hitters. The Red Sox average 1.38 HR per game at home, as opposed to 1.47 on the road. However, the Red Sox hit for a superior batting average and slugging percentage at home than on the road. Additionally, the Red Sox offense is heating up. In 30 games in March/April they hit 32 home runs, but hit 51 in May. Their batting average has jumped from .239 in those opening months, to .278 in May, and is at .298 for June so far. It will be hard to increase the overall trend much further, but continuing into a strong summer is much needed for this team.

The Rays have been remarkably consistent this season so far. They hit 35 home runs in March/April and 36 in May. Interestingly they had 12 triples in the first month and just one in May. To start June they have seven home runs with a .270 batting average. The Red Sox will be hoping to slow that down this weekend.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Pitching: The fourth pitcher this weekend will be very interesting. With the way Nathan Eovaldi opened the season, there is a potential spot up for grabs even after his return. Right now the four of Price, Porcello, Rodriguez and Chris Sale looks set. However, a strong performance this weekend could give a pitcher a shot of spending more time in the rotation as the year progresses.

Hitting: In the first five games of June the Red Sox have hit six home runs. Eduardo Nunez, J.D. Martinez, Rafael Devers, and Mookie Betts all have one each, with two for Xander Bogaerts. Any creeping concerns about Andrew Benintendi were put to bed with a four home runs, five steal May. However, after hitting just .259, the Red Sox will be hoping he can get his June kick-started in this series.

EXPECTATIONS

The last week essentially describes the Red Sox season. For the first few days, it was doom-and-gloom, losing the last two to the Indians and the first two to the Yankees. Then things turned around with a four-straight win -streak. Now the Red Sox have a chance to build momentum and potentially move into second place in the division this week.

A four-game home series against the Rays offers an opportunity for the Red Sox. Get this right and there is a chance they could be breathing down the neck of the Yankees, within five games and ready to strike. However, make a mess and they could lose ground on both rivals and be facing a 10-game deficit to the dreaded Yankees. With the Rangers and Orioles next up, the Red Sox have a real chance to reel off a strong run of results and put themselves right back in the division hunt.

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RED SOX – YANKEES SERIES PREVIEW

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As we expected, the last week has been a massive test for the Red Sox. Three games in Houston were immediately followed by a three game home stand against the Indians. Unfortunately, they have come away from those six games with a 2-4 record. Things are not about to get much easier as they travel to a Yankees team who are 28-9 in their last 37 games.

5/30 Chris Sale vs. J.A. Happ (L) 7:05 pm NESN

5/31 Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Domingo German (R) 7:05 pm NESN

6/1 Rick Porcello vs. TBD 7:15 pm NESN

6/2 David Price vs. Masahiro Tanaka (R) 2:10 pm ESPN

NOTABLE NUMBERS

PITCHERS

After allowing just an average of three runs per game in Houston, the Red Sox allowed the Indians to score a whopping 26 runs in their three game home stand. Nine of those runs came off stand-in starter Ryan Weber, but the majority of the rest of the damage came off the bullpen. Porcello allowed five runs to score (three earned), with the remaining 12 runs being dealt to the pen. That is a major concern for a Red Sox team who have been fighting to get consistency from their starters for most of this season.

After a rough last two games against the Indians the Yankees need to bounce back immediately. The good news is that Chris Sale has an extremely good history against the Yankees and in Yankee Stadium. In 105 2/3 career innings against the Yankees, he has allowed just 22 earned runs (1.87 ERA). In Yankee Stadium he has a 2.36 ERA in 53 1/3 innings.

Domingo German has been the ace in the pack for the Yankees this season, especially at home, where he has a 1.69 ERA this season. However, he was hit hard by the Kansas City Royals in his last start on the road. German allowed four home runs off him, with seven earned in total. The Red Sox will be hoping they can exploit the same part of his game that the Royal did so capably last time out.

HITTERS

This will be the first time Michael Chavis has faced the Yankees in his young career. The rookie infielder has 10 home runs already this season, to go with a .269 batting average. Chavis has been pretty equal with his home run distribution. Six have come against righties, four against lefties, five at home and five on the road. How he performs in the next four games could give Red Sox fans a glimpse into the character behind the stats.

The Yankees rank sixth in the majors in home runs, seventh in batting average and eighth in slugging percentage. However, they have had some struggles against left-handed pitchers. They rank 21st in batting average, 27th in home runs, and 23rd in slugging percentage. Those are very promising numbers considering the Yankees have three lefties on the mound in this series.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Pitching: The entire equation has switched in the last couple of weeks. It was no long ago we were looking for better performances from the starters. All four starters going in this series allowed three or less earned runs in their last start. However, as I mentioned above the bullpen struggled massively against the Indians. Bullpen performance can be wildly inconsistent, but many felt it was a real weakness for the Red Sox entering the season. It would be great to see some dominant performances from the bullpen in this series. Especially in a stadium where the Red Sox could have potential playoff games.

Hitting: The Red Sox need a few more hitters to step up, especially with Mitch Moreland hitting the IL. Chavis, Bogaerts, Martinez, Devers and Betts are all pulling their weight. Christian Vazquez has been impressive when left-handed pitchers have been on the mound but then there are some question marks. They will want more out of Benintendi and someone to step up and make the gap left by Moreland their role. Whether that is Steve Pearce or someone else it does not matter, but someone needs to step up and fill the gap.

EXPECTATIONS

After a rough week the Red Sox really need to turn it around in New York. The Yankees are currently on a fantastic run of form, but that will just motivate this Red Sox team even more. The positive for the Red Sox is that the Yankees numbers with left-handed pitchers on the mound is significantly less than stellar.

There is no way to look at this other than the Red Sox need to at worst split this series. The Red Sox are 7.5 games behind the Yankees entering this series. Slipping further behind would not be a disaster, but it would be a problem. This Yankees team is missing some key pieces and is still tearing up the diamond. If their stars come back and click, the Red Sox need to be in touching distance to have a real shot.

Red Sox – Rockies Series Preview

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When we last took an depth look at the Sox they were starting their road to recovery. On May 1st they had gone 8-4 in their last 12 to meet last year’s .667 winning percentage. Since then they’ve gone 8-2. Mash that together and it’s 16-6 since April 19th. That’s a .727 winning percentage for the math geeks out there. Can they keep it going against the 19-21 Rockies?

Pitching Matchups/Schedule (TV)

5/14 – Chris Sale vs Kyle Freeland (NESN)

5/15 – Eduardo Rodriguez vs German Marquez (NESN)

Notable Numbers

+27: That is the Red Sox run differential. On April 19th the Red Sox were 29th (of 30 teams) in baseball in run differential at -42. Now they’re 9th at +27. This team is clicking on all cylinders.

.217: This Rockies batting average on the road this year. That’s the fourth lowest in the league.

What To Watch For

Every Chris Sale start is notable, and this one is no different. The Rockies power bats (Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story) are right handed, and destroy left handed starters (.400 for Arenado, .314 for Story). With the cooler weather, and that kind of right handed power in the lineup, the Rockies will be a challenge. It’s another good test for Sale, despite the Rockies low road average. Sale has a 2.61 ERA over his last five starts. But every start is another step forward or back. A good start would be further encouragement that Sale is back.

Eduardo Rodriguez was celebrated a little too much for finally pitching seven innings in a start for the first time since September 23rd of 2017 his last time out. Will he pull it off in back to back starts? If he does, it could be a harbinger of a true step forward from the mercurial Rodriguez.

Expectations

The Rockies have a lot of potential, and their 10-10 road record is actually an achievement. But the Red Sox are red hot. The Rockies will show better than the reeling Mariners did in the last series, but the Sox should continue to dominate. Expect a brief two game sweep by the Sox before the schedule tightens up in the next couple of weeks.

Red Sox – Mariners Series Preview

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It seems a long time ago that the Mariners handed the Red Sox a 3-1 series defeat to open the season. Now over a month later the Mariners comes to face a surging Red Sox. The Sox took their May record to 7-2 and got themselves back to .500 on the season for the first time since the season began.

5/10 Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Erik Swanson (R) 7:10 pm NESN

5/11 Rick Porcello vs. Felix Hernandez (R) 1:05 pm NESN

5/12 Josh Smith vs. Marco Gonzales (L) 1:05 pm NESN

NOTABLE NUMBERS

The Red Sox face two starting pitchers in Swanson (ERA: 4.94) and Hernandez (ERA: 5.20) who have struggled this season. However, they have had contrasting experiences on the road in 2019. Swanson has a 3.95 ERA on the road, compared to an ERA of 6.16 on the road for Hernandez.

Josh Smith’s first career start for the Red Sox was somewhat of a disaster, as he allowed four earned runs in just 3 1/3 innings. Unfortunately, that is representative of his career as a starter so far. In 41 2/3 innings as a starter, Smith has a 6.48 ERA. However, with David Price and Nathan Eovaldi on the IL, the Red Sox need their 31-year old righty to step up in this start.

This season has been somewhat of a disaster for both Rodriguez and Porcello. However, the shining ray of light in two tough seasons has been their home form. Rodriguez has a 3.63 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 17 1/3 inning in Fenway Park this season. Similarly, Porcello has 3.00 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 18 innings.

Over 20 career games “King Felix” has been a thorn in the Red Sox side. There have been a handful of occasions where the Red Sox got to him in his career, but for the large part he has been very impressive. Hernandez is no longer the pitcher he once was, but the Red Sox should still be wary, as he held them to just two runs in seven innings in his one outing against them last season.

The Red Sox offense stumbled a little in Baltimore, scoring just 11 runs across those three games. However in amongst that there were home runs for Andrew Benintendi (4), J.D. Martinez (5) and Mookie Betts (7). If those three can springboard into a big series against the Mariners, the Red Sox can sail to a plus .500 record for the first time this season.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

The Rotation: I think I have mentioned the rotation in every series preview I have done this season. It would be lovely if we could just get some more of these question marks answered. The ace in the pack, Chris Sale, has calmed any fears. But now we need Porcello or Rodriguez to step up. Frankly, anything we get from Smith and Hector Velasquez is a major bonus, but for this team to continue this momentum the current #2 and #3 guys in this rotation have to step up.

Hitting: It might be time to start worrying about Jackie Bradley. His batting average is a woeful .142, and he has just three extra base hits in 123 plate appearances. On the bright side, he has stolen three bases, and his defense is a long way from being a liability. However, he is one of three hitters on the current 25-man roster with a batting average below .200, and this is the time of the season where that becomes a major concern.

EXPECTATIONS

A little hiccup in game two against the Orioles could not stop the Red Sox getting to .500 for the first time since Opening Day. However, they remain five games behind the impressive Rays, and are still 3.5 games behind a banged up Yankees squad. This series against a Mariners team flailing at 2-7 in May gives them the perfect opportunity to try and make a dent in the lead of those two teams.

The threat from the Mariners is their hitting. They rank first in both runs scored and home runs, as well as third in slugging percentage. However, their rotation is not great, and this is the weakest part of it. Unfortunately, this is also the weakest part of the Red Sox! This could be a fun high scoring weekend, which hopefully the Red Sox can escape from with a 2-1 record.