Tag Archives: Chris Sale

Red Sox Take Two Out Of Three From The Rays

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The Boston Red Sox began a crucial stretch for their potential 2019 postseason run on Monday. They took on the Tampa Bay Rays in a three game set, trying to make up some ground in the American League East. The series is now over, with some good news for all of you Red Sox fans out there. Let’s recap this series, breaking it down game by game.

Game 1: Red Sox 9 Rays 4

The Red Sox came out in game one and flat out punched the Rays in the mouth. This one saw a lot of power out of the Red Sox bats from the start. Rafael Devers kicked off the scoring with a two run RBI double. J.D. Martinez hit a three run home run and led the way with a 2-5 night with four RBI’s. Andrew Benintendi and Sam Travis also hit home runs as part of a seven run third inning that gave way to an easy 9-4 win for the Red Sox. On the mound, Eduardo Rodriguez threw seven shutout innings, giving up two hits, four walks, and six strikeouts on the night. It was safe to say that the Red Sox got off on the right foot in this series after game one.

Game 2: Red Sox 5 Rays 4

This one was not as much of a walk in the park as the first game. The Red Sox had to use all 27 of their offensive outs, and a shaky last half inning in the bottom of the ninth, to come away with a 5-4 victory. Andrew Benintendi led the way with a 2-4 performance with 2 RBI’s. Christian Vazquez found himself hitting a deep home run for his 16th of the season. Chris Sale was on the mound in this one and he looked like the Sale we’re used to seeing. He threw six innings giving up 4 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, and 10 strikeouts; and still had a no decision. The combination of Brandon Workman and Marcus Walden helped secure a one run victory for the Red Sox. That also secured a series win going into the final game of the series on Wednesday.

Game 3: Rays 3 Red Sox 2 (For Now!)

The “For Now!” part we’ll get to in a second. The Red Sox struck first in this one with a two run single from Rafael Devers in the third inning. Unfortunately, that would be the only scoring the Red Sox could muster in the series finale. Charlie Morton kept the Red Sox off the scoreboard after that, going seven innings with 11 strikeouts to his credit.

Here’s the “For Now!” part. The Rays apparently had 10 players in their lineup, including two pitchers. The Red Sox tried to argue this, which led to a 19 minute delay in the game, with umpires even confused about the move. This game is under protest and some think the Red Sox have a legitimate case here. So we’ll see what happens with that. For now, the Red Sox lose this one 3-2. David Price was the tough luck loser in this one, going six innings and giving up three runs.

In Conclusion

The Red Sox proved they can be better than the Rays. They are one game back of the Rays and can catch them this weekend. The only downside: the Yankees are in town. If the Red Sox can prove that they can beat the Yankees in a series right now, the trade deadline can be extra crucial. Also, there could be another postseason in Boston with a good two months of baseball ahead of them. One series at a time though!

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RED SOX – RAYS SERIES PREVIEW

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Well, that series with the Orioles could not have gone much worse. Coming into the series the Red Sox would have been hoping for a sweep. At the very least they would have been hoping to win the series 2-1. Instead, they lost the series and are now left heading to Tampa in a really tough situation. These next 14 days will shape the Red Sox season, be it for better or worse.

7/22 Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Jalen Beeks (L) 7:00 pm NESN

7/23 Chris Sale vs. Yonny Chirinos (R) 7:05 pm NESN

7/24 David Price vs. Charlie Morton (R) 12:10 pm NESN

NOTABLE NUMBERS

PITCHERS

All eyes will be firmly on Price after his mini-implosion against the Orioles (4 IP, 6 ER, 2 HR, 4K). In that matchup, he was up against the extremely impressive John Means, and he wilted under the spotlight. Well, that spotlight only gets brighter in this outing as he goes up against the even more impressive Charlie Morton. With an 11-3 record and a 2.61 ERA, Morton is firmly in Cy Young contention.

For his part, Morton is also coming into this game off the back of a tough outing. He took his third loss in his last seven starts against the Yankees, allowing five earned runs in 5 2/3 innings. However, the rest of the season has been, for the most part, really good. Out of 21 starts, he has allowed three earned runs or less in 18 of those starts. He had two mixed outings against the Red Sox earlier this season. In Boston, he shut them out through six innings, but in Tampa, he allowed five earned runs in six innings. The Red Sox will be hoping for a repeat of that home performance this time around.

Jalen Beeks should be a familiar face to the Red Sox organization. Having spent the best part of five years in the organisation they should know all about him. This will be just his second major league start, having been a starter throughout the minors, but transitioning to a relief role in 2018. This season he has a 2.78 ERA, with 56 strikeouts in 64 2/3 innings. This season he has gone three or more innings 15 times, over four on six occasions, as long as 6 2/3 on one occasion.

HITTERS

The Rays rank 15th in the league this season in batting average, 12th in OBP, 19th in slugging and 17th in runs scored and home runs. Interestingly they have been slightly better on the road, ranking 17th in batting average, 18th in OBP and home runs, 22 in home runs and 23rd in slugging. This is the best place to pitch against the Rays, and with the Rays coming to Fenway next week the Red Sox need to take advantage.

The Red Sox have been marginally better hitters at home, but it the change is fairly negligible. However, against the Rays they have been somewhat of a disaster this season. In nine games they are hitting .212, with a .345 slugging percentage, eight home runs and 90 strikeouts in 63 innings.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Pitching: The Red Sox once again have three lefties on the mound. The Rays are middle of the league against left-handed pitching, so the Red Sox will be hoping for a successful series. Right now these three pitchers are the best bet the Red Sox have for a playoff series. They also need these three guys to provide the majority of their wins in the coming months. This series is going to tell us a lot about the direction of this team.

Hitting: Let’s take a look at who are the best Red Sox hitters on the road this season. Rafael Devers has 14 of his 20 home runs on the road, while hitting .322 and striking out just 37 times in 205 AB. J.D. Martinez is hitting .301 with nine home runs, and Brock Holt is hitting .328 but with just one home run. In contrast, Jackie Bradley Jr. is hitting a woeful .202 on the road, but does have six of his 11 home runs away from Fenway Park.

EXPECTATIONS

The hope was that the Red Sox would be coming into this series with momentum. Instead, they are coming in off the back of a humiliating loss to one of the worst teams in the Majors. There are not many worse ways to head into a 14 game gauntlet against your two biggest divisional rivals.

It is not an understatement to say that the next fortnight is make or break. At the end of this not only could the Red Sox be out of the divisional race, but they could be in an uphill struggle for the wildcard spots as well. This series is one the Red Sox really need at least two wins from, and one of those wins will need to come off either Charlie Morton or Yonny Chirinos. It will be hard but the Red Sox are defending World Champions and now is the time to show it.

I’m Not Concerned About Chris Sale

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We all know that the Boston Red Sox have not been relatively close to their 2018 form. You could blame a lot of the Red Sox mediocre season on a number of different factors. Some would say it’s the continuous aggravation of the bullpen underachieving. Others might point to the fact that guys like Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez aren’t having the same years in 2019 as they did in 2018. But what a lot of people quickly forget about is Ace Chris Sale.

Sale has not been himself this year and we all can see it. Coming into today, Chris Sale is 3-9 with an alarmingly high 4.27 ERA. Sale has been very accountable this season, taking the heat for every bad start that he has had so far this season. But with all of that being said, here are a few reasons why I’m not concerned with Chris Sale.

He’s Always Been A Strikeout Pitcher

There is no sugarcoating this fact. Chris Sale has been a strikeout pitcher since the first year he started for the Chicago White Sox. While his wins might be down on the year, his strikeout production surely has not decreased in the slightest. In 19 games this season, (prior to his start today against the Toronto Blue Jays) Sale has 160 strikeouts on the season. If you do the math on that quickly, he is averaging 8.42 strikeouts per start. So it isn’t a case of his strikeout totals decreasing by any means.

He’s Accountable

You’re probably wondering what accountability has to do with Sale. Well, it has to do with Sale more than you think. Sale could very easily have been a jerk about the whole situation and come up with excuses for why he’s struggled. “The catchers aren’t calling the right pitches”, “The offense doesn’t give me run support”, “I’m hurt”, to name a few. But, that’s not the type of guy that Sale is deep down inside of him. He has flat out beaten himself up during after start press conferences. “I suck right now”, “I have to be better”, “I’m a liability right now”. Those are quotes of what he has said throughout the season. Boston loves Sale because he backs up what he says. He acknowledges his good starts and becomes his own worst critic when he fails. You can’t ask for much more than that.

His Teammates Saw Something Recently

You heard it from Eduardo Rodriguez first. Sale was going to deliver a good start today and he did. Jared Carrabis gives it away a bit with his mention of Sale striking out 12 Blue Jays hitters over five innings at the time. He was dominant as ever today.

Six innings with 12 strikeouts while giving up two walks and two hits? Yeah, give me that every time. That’s the Sale we all know and love. That is also the Sale the Red Sox need from this point forward for the rest of the season.

In Conclusion

Sale is going to be fine. He’s as competitive and as smart as they come for starting pitchers. He has the pitches and the mental part to help him turn his season around. If the Red Sox want to get back in this division race at all, Sale has to build off of his great start today. Something tells me this isn’t the last good start Sale has in the 2019 season.

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RED SOX – BLUE JAYS SERIES PREVIEW

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Things did not go exactly to plan for the Red Sox in the series against the Dodgers. They got off to a great start winning the first game, but could not pull out the extra innings game on Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN. Losing to the Dodgers was a massive blow, but not exactly an unexpected one. Avoiding being swept was extremely important, and the fight they demonstrated against arguably the best team in baseball will carry them into the second half feeling good.

7/15 Rick Porcello vs. Trent Thornton (R) 7:10 pm NESN

7/16 Andrew Cashner vs. TBD 7:10 pm NESN

7/17 Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Aaron Sanchez (R) 7:10 pm ESPN

7/18 Chris Sale vs. Clayton Richard (L) 1:05 pm ESPN

NOTABLE NUMBERS

PITCHERS

The obvious name to look at here is brand new Red Sox Andrew Cashner. He comes to the Sox with a more than respectable 3.85 ERA this season. However, a large part of that has been his impressive 3.47 ERA at home in Camden Yards. Can he now bring that home form to the Red Sox? In his career, he has only started two games in Fenway Park, allowing eight earned runs in 10 innings pitched. Not exactly a favorable record, but given the small sample size, it is not a disaster situation either.

It bears repeating just how Trent Thornton has been on the road this season. His 3.60 road ERA is only that high because the Yankees took a liking to him in his last road start. Last time in Fenway he went toe-to-toe with Sale and came away with a ton of respect. This time against Porcello he could be the pitcher who gets this series off to a terrible start for the Red Sox.

Sanchez’s road form is in stark contrast to that of Thornton. Sanchez has a 6.79 ERA on the road this season, with a .306 batting average against. Richard has also struggled on the road, with a 5.29 ERA. Finishing the series against those two pitchers should be a great way for the Red Sox to round out the series.

HITTERS

The Red Sox have struggled to get any production this season out of the right side of their infield. The first base position has hit just .235, and second base just .252. Combined they have accounted for just 28 home runs. In contrast, the left side of the infield has hit over .300 at both positions, with 37 home runs. Given that first base is supposed to be one of your better hitters, that is somewhat of a disaster for the Red Sox.

The Blue Jays hitting has gradually improved throughout the season. In March/April and May, they hit under .240 with a combined 68 home runs. In June and the first half of July, they’re hitting a combined .250 with 60 home runs. The Red Sox pitching needs to be aware that the Blue Jays offense is a different one from earlier in the year and treat it as such.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Pitching: All eyes will be on Andrew Cashner. He has been acquired with a view to providing some right-handed depth in their rotation. The Red Sox will be keen to see how he starts his time with them, having lacked quality right-handed options due to the injuries to Nathan Eovaldi and the poor performances of Porcello.

Hitting: I mentioned the struggles of the right side of the Red Sox infield above. The Red Sox will be hoping to get a boost later in the year when their platoon of Mitch Moreland and Steve Pearce return. That will allow them to use Michael Chavis as a utility man on the infield. Chavis is another hitter they would like to see get his mojo back in this series, having registered a solitary hit in the Dodgers series.

EXPECTATIONS

The Dodgers loss will hurt, but it will was not entirely unexpected. The Red Sox will be aware these are the sort of series they have to win 3-1 or 4-0 if they are to stay in the race for the division.

There will be challenges in this series. Thornton is tough, and panic could set in if he leads the Blue Jays to a first-game victory. However, with a weak back end for the Blue Jays pitching in this series, the Red Sox will likely have a strong series against a mediocre Blue Jays team.

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RED SOX – DODGERS SERIES PREVIEW

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The Red Sox could not have gone into the All-Star break any better. Five wins outs of six against the Blue Jays and Tigers, including a sweep of the Tigers in Detroit. Now the MLB leading Dodgers are coming to town for a three-game series. Can the Red Sox get the second half off to the best possible start?

7/5Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Kenta Maeda (R) 7:10 pm NESN

7/6 David Price vs. Ross Stripling (R) 7:15 pm NESN

7/7 Chris Sale vs. Hyun-Jin Ryu (R) 7:00 pm ESPN

NOTABLE NUMBERS

PITCHERS

Things had been looking up for Sale, but they’ve gone a little awry in the last couple of weeks. His last two starts have seen 10 earned runs allowed in 11 2/3 innings. The worse news is that those starts were against the hardly fearsome offenses of the Blue Jays and White Sox. Now against the very good Los Angeles Dodgers he is going to need to be at his very best.

Hyun-Jin Ryu has been simply incredible this year. He has a 1.73 ERA on the season, with just 21 earned runs allowed. Even more impressive is that seven of those earned runs came in one start in Colorado, leaving just 14 earned runs in 105 innings. Outside of that one start in Colorado, he has a 1.20 ERA this season.

While both Maeda and Stripling have had solid seasons, they have had their issues on the road. 27 of the 40 earned runs allowed by Maeda have come away from Los Angeles, giving him a 5.52 ERA. As for Stripling, he has been marginally better with a 4.28 ERA on the road. Those numbers present a real opportunity for the Red Sox.

HITTERS

I have mentioned numerous times in this article about the Red Sox record against right-handed pitchers, but it bears repeating here. They rank first in the majors in batting average and OBP, second in BB% and OPS, and 10th in ISO. When you have three quality right-handed pitchers on the mound, these impressive numbers become even more important than ever.

It has worked out well for the Red Sox that they have three left-handed starters lined up for this one. The Dodgers rank among the top-five in most hitting categories. However, when left-handed pitchers are on the mound their numbers take a little dip. They rank 11th in batting average, 10th in slugging, and 12th is ISO when lefties are on the mound. Still good, but not as good as when righties are facing them.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Pitching: All eyes will be on the Sale and Ryu game. However for the Red Sox, their focus needs to be on the first two games more than ever. No matter how good Sale is they have to assume that Ryu will win that game. That could pile the pressure on Rodriguez and Sale. It could also relieve the pressure on Sale and we may see his best outing of the season. Either way, this is going to be a fascinating series.

Hitting: After facing a relatively weak pitching group in both the Blue Jays and Tigers, things are about to get very different. All three of the pitchers they face in this series have an ERA under four. The Red Sox hitters are going to have to be at their World Series-winning best to come away from this series with a couple of wins.

EXPECTATIONS

The Red Sox did exactly what they needed to do before the All-Star break, giving them a launchpad for the second half of the season. They are not in the box seat, but they are also not completely out of the picture either.

This series against the Dodgers presents a real opportunity for the Red Sox to lay down a marker. Take two or three of these games off the Dodgers and the Yankees and Rays might just sit up and take notice. It may sound easy on paper, but this will be a tough series for the Red Sox, and they will need to be at their very best to get anything from it.

Why To Be Optimistic About The Red Sox In The Second Half

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The Boston Red Sox are about to embark on the second half of their 2019 season. They currently sit at 49-41, two and a half games back of the Rays, and nine back of the Yankees. A lot of people, including myself, were not overly enthusiastic about the first half of the season. But the second half kicks off officially on Friday when the Red Sox host the Dodgers. Keep in mind, this is a rematch of last year’s World Series match-up. Here are some reasons to be optimistic about the second half of the season.

Rafael Devers

First things first, can we acknowledge what a season Rafael Devers has had? Now, can we all agree that he should have been in the All-Star Game? We all can agree? Okay good, moving on!

Rafael Devers had one of the best first halves on the Red Sox by far. He is currently hitting for a .324 average ,along with 16 home runs and 62 RBI’s. If that doesn’t impress you, he also has 69 runs scored, along with a .923 OPS. Devers has been a man on a mission in the first half of the season. Now he just needs to keep up his hot hitting in the second half to give the Red Sox a chance of contending.

David Price

David. Price. Is. GOOD. Let’s end any debate of that now. While other Red Sox arms such as Chris Sale and Rick Porcello struggled in the first half, Price excelled. He was the Red Sox most consistent starter, and continuously pitched deep into his starts when they needed him. The numbers don’t exactly wow you, but they make you nod your head in approval. Price is currently 7-2 with a 3.24 ERA. In 83 and 1/3 innings he has 95 strikeouts, so just above one an inning. A lot of people were skeptical of Price in his first few seasons in Boston. But last year from the All-Star break until now he has now put the past behind him. If Price can continue his consistency in the second half, and the other starters improve, the rest of the MLB needs to look out.

Christian Vazquez

Nobody has really talked about Christian Vazquez in the first half. The Red Sox catcher has swung the bat very well so far this season. He is hitting .299 with 14 home runs and 41 RBIs (both career highs). We all knew Vazquez was an above average defensive catcher. But the hitting side of things was always Vazquez’s biggest question mark. He has certainly proved a lot of people wrong this season. If he keeps this pace up, maybe the demands for Sandy Leon will decrease.

In Conclusion

The Red Sox are in a better spot than we all think. They have had it all in the first half of the season. There’s been the rising star (Devers), the veteran making a statement (Price), and the surprise of the year (Vazquez), with the second half of the season yet to start. Are the Red Sox perfect? Not even close! No MLB team is perfect in all aspects of the game. But, do they have the pieces that can help them make a second half run? Definitely! 72 games remain, let’s see what this Red Sox team has in store for us.

Red Sox need to take advantage of upcoming stretch

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Christian Vazquez capped an exciting comeback with an extra inning walk off homer on Friday night. The Sox managed to erase a 5-1 deficit to beat the Toronto Blue Jays when Chris Sale did not have his best stuff. One would hope this exciting victory could jump start the Sox into a series win. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

The Red Sox then proceeded to have a really bad weekend. They lost two out of three at home to a Blue Jays team that was 27-48 going into this series. The bullpen blew a 6-1 lead on Saturday. The offense and Rick Porcello were not effective on Sunday. The official start of Summer at Fenway was spoiled by the Jays from Toronto.

However, there is something to look forward to. Boston is now entering a rather favorable stretch of play, as five of the next seven series contain sub .500 opponents. The Chicago White Sox come into Fenway for a three game series starting Monday. The White Sox currently hold a 36-39 record. (Not to mention Boston clobbered Chicago in early May, scoring 34 runs and winning three of four.)

Following this series in The United States, Boston will travel across the Pond to London. On June 29h and 30th, Boston will take on the 49-28, American League East leading New York Yankees. Also, the Sox will be off on June 27th and 28th and July 1st. This is the last team over .500 the Red Sox will face before the All-Star Break.

The Red Sox will then leave Europe for Canada for three games with the Jays before returning back to the states. Boston will wrap up the unofficial first half of the season with 3 between the woeful Detroit Tigers, who currently sport a 26-44 record.

After the All Star Break, Boston is back for three games at Fenway with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a rematch of last year’s Fall Classic. Los Angeles currently has the best record in baseball with 50 wins to a mere 25 loses.

The Red Sox end that homestand with a four game series against the Blue Jays. Boston will then travel to Baltimore to face an Orioles team that currently sits last in the majors with a not-so-hot record of 21 and 53.

It is crucial the Red Sox make the most out of this part of their schedule if they want to cut into the Yankees lead. They already started this stretch on the wrong foot by losing a home series to the poultry Blue Jays. (Not to mention, making me change my article.)

After these 21 games with six days off, Boston crashes back to reality with four straight series against New York and Tampa Bay. If the Red Sox want to avoid that nerve-wracking, unpredictable Wild-Card Game, they need to take advantage of the next four weeks. Not only is the competition inferior, they have a lot of off days.

Bottom line, Boston cannot afford too many more poor series against under .500 teams.

Photo courtesy of Michael Dwyer, AP Photo

Follow Chad Jones on Twitter @ShutUpChadJones

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!

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RED SOX – BLUE JAYS SERIES PREVIEW

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If the Red Sox had gone into Minnesota and came away with one win it would have been perfectly fine. However, to go up against the Twins and win two of three puts the Red Sox in a great position for their upcoming six-game homestand.

6/21 Chris Sale vs. Trent Thornton (R) 7:10 pm NESN

6/22 Brian Johnson vs. TBD 4:05 pm NESN

6/23 Rick Porcello vs. Marcus Stroman (R) 1:05 pm NESN

NOTABLE NUMBERS

PITCHERS

Chris Sale’s 10 strikeouts in his last outing, means that he has struck out 10 or more in eight of his last 10 starts. Additionally, his ERA is down to a season-low 3.49. His average fastball velocity is now sitting just below 95 mph. It is still on the lower end of what we have seen earlier in his career, but it is better than what we saw at the start of the season.

Trent Thornton has been a somewhat frustrating pitcher this season. His season-long 4.36 ERA is solid, but his home form has been poor. His road ERA sits a 2.39, but his home ERA is 6.39, with 9-of-11 home runs he has allowed this season coming at home, giving him a .528 slugging percentage allowed in the Rodgers Centre. The Red Sox hope to reverse that trend as he comes to Fenway in the first game of the series.

Marcus Stroman’s numbers have been much more even, with his home and road ERA being within .02 (3.22 vs. 3.24) of one another. However, all nine of his home runs allowed have come in his home starts. Five of those home runs have come in his last four home starts, and all nine coming in his last six home starts. In addition, seven of those home runs have come against left-handed hitters. Much like with Thornton, the Red Sox are looking to change that form and deal Stroman some road home runs in this start.

HITTERS

The Toronto Blue Jays have a hard at the plate this season, but at home they have really struggled. They rank dead last in the majors in batting average with a terrible .205 line, .16 lower than the next worst team. They also rank dead last in wRC+, as well as bottom five in slugging percentage and wOBA.

The Red Sox were carried by their pitchers in the Twins series, as their offense scored just 14 runs in 35 innings. Those 35 innings are what you might expect from a four-game series, but this was just a three-game series, as Tuesday’s game went to 17 innings before Max Kepler won it for the Twins. Interestingly just two of the Red Sox 14 runs were scored by means of a home run. That is a promising sign as it means the Red Sox are able to string together plays to score runners in a tough series with a good team.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Pitching: Seemingly every series I discuss the fifth starter situation, and this will be no different. With Brian Johnson on the mound against one of the worst offensive teams in the league, the Red Sox will be desperate to see him repeat his success from last time out. He only went three innings against the Orioles, but if he can stretch that out in this start, then he could cement himself as the short-term fifth starter in the rotation.

Hitting: The Red Sox have won seven of their last eight, scoring 53 runs in that time. An interesting subplot on this streak has been the form of Mookie Betts in June. Betts is hitting just .219 in 90 PAs this month, thanks in large part to a .224 BABIP. Another struggler this month has been Michael Chavis who has struck out in 31-of-74 PA in June. The Red Sox will be hoping those two can use this series to get them back in some form ready for the showdown with the Yankees in London at the end of the month.

EXPECTATIONS

In the space of a few days the feelings around this team have changed. Suddenly this team has gone from a road underdog just looking to stay hot, to a favorite expected to win a series at home. That brings a completely different pressure, especially for a team with just a .500 record at home.

Just a handful of days ago I was writing how we just wanted to not get swept in a series. Now the feeling is that anything less than a sweep against the Blue Jays might be disappointing. The Blue Jays have won just 26 games this season, and they are exactly the team the Red Sox need to beat well f they are to get back in the AL East race.

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.