Tag Archives: MLB

Alex Cora’s Secret Weapon: Nathan Eovaldi

Back on July 25th, Red Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski went out and bolstered his rotation depth. He traded for the hard throwing righty, Nathan Eovaldi. In the dog days of summer, I don’t think any of us imagined Eovaldi was the eighth inning guy in the World Series, but here we are. Eovaldi has been clinical all postseason long. It started against New York or Houston when Eovaldi was starting, but now that he’s shifted into a setup role, it has broadened the horizons for manager Alex Cora when deciding on a reliever.

Coming into the playoffs, the media was in a frenzy over the state of the Boston bullpen. Friendly reminder, I wasn’t. However, we’re here now, and the relievers have been nails. Joe Kelly, Matt Barnes, Eduardo Rodriguez and Craig Kimbrel all join Eovaldi, as having allowed ZERO combined runs in the World Series. Yeah it’s a small sample size, but the uptick of Kelly and Kimbrel has been huge. The biggest part of this revived bullpen has got to be nasty Nate however. He pitched back to back clean eighth innings in games one and two of the World Series. Which is no easy feat. Joe Kelly pumps gas out on the mound, but Eovaldi is like a more commanding version of him. Nathan’s been out there throwing 100+ and mowing guys down to setup Craig Kimbrel. It seriously looks like he’s been doing it his whole life.

What’s Next for Nate:

The future is so insanely bright for Eovaldi. His dominance could not have come at a better time, for both the Red Sox’ sake and for his. Cora has loved being able to turn to Eovaldi for a tough out all playoffs long. He’s also counting on him for a couple solid starts as well. For Nathan himself, he’s set to be a free agent. After the postseason he’s had, he has driven his own value to an all time high. Whether it be with the Sox, and as a reliever or starter, he will command a fairly sizeable contract over a multiple years. Without looking too far ahead, Eovaldi also has a good chance to be the World Series MVP. If he turns in a good start in game four or five, or trots out of the pen and dominates a couple more times, I’d give it to him.

 

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Red Sox Take Game 1 of the 2018 World Series

A few thoughts on the first Sox-Dodgers World Series matchup since 1916 coming up, right after I miraculously recover from a belly-button ring infection…

Game 1 of the World Series always feels the most special. There’s the pregame ceremonies and introductions giving added pomp to the proceedings, and a certain buzz that only exists when any and all outcomes are possible. As the series progresses, that “special” vibe is replaced by crushing existential dread hanging on every pitch, which only grows stronger with each passing game. But prior to the first game fans are still comfortable enough to do things like (rightfully) cheer on the opposing manager.

Good news for Red Sox fans: There was plenty more to cheer about over the course of Tuesday night’s 8-4 win.

It’s no secret that the Sox strength lies in the top of their lineup, which contains a Murderers’ Quartet of Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, JD Martinez, and Xander Bogaerts. Here’s how they attacked Clayton Kershaw to kick things off in the bottom of the 1st:

  • Betts singled to center, stole second base, and won free tacos for America.
  • Benintendi slipped a hit through the hole into left field (scoring Betts), and took second on the throw home.
  • Steve Pearce popped out.
  • Martinez singled to center, scoring Benintendi.

2-0 Red Sox, before the Dodgers even had a chance to breathe. Los Angeles would continue to battle back throughout the early and middle innings, but Boston never trailed in this one. The Sox have had their fair share of fast starts this postseason, and continuing to do so in this series will go a long way towards winning the whole thing. Kershaw only lasted 4+ innings and was charged 5 earned runs, thanks to Boston’s relentless attack (and Martinez and Rafael Devers continually clutch postseason).

It’s a good thing, too, because the Red Sox ace didn’t have his best stuff either. Granted, Chris Sale may have still been recovering from a mysterious stomach injury that held him out of Game 5 of the ALCS. However, it was clear he didn’t have his best stuff. The Dodgers have been excellent all year at laying off pitches out of the zone, and Tuesday was no different. Sale threw 91 pitches, but only 54 (59%) for strikes. He positively labored through the first three innings especially, and wasn’t allowed to run through the LA lineup a third time. The velocity was sort of there, and his breaking stuff looked good, but he struggled to find the plate and was punished for mistakes:

Fortunately for Sale (and the Red Sox), the bullpen continues to be the surprise of the playoffs. It was another strong showing from the Boston relievers: 5 innings, 1 run, and importantly only 1 walk. When Joe Kelly is throwing changeups like this, you know things are going your way. Seriously, look at this thing:

Is that a damn Wiffle ball?

On a similar point, Alex Cora is on absolute fire. This guy can’t miss, and you can doubt his moves at your own peril. He let Sandy León hit. León responded with a pair of singles in the same game for the first time since 1892. He brought in Nathan Eovaldi in the 8th to bridge the gap to Craig Kimbrel. Eovaldi was lights out. He even pinch hit Eduardo Nunez for Rafael Devers in the bottom of the 7th, despite pleas from Red Sox Nation to “please god don’t even think about it” (roughly paraphrasing there).

Nuñez…well…I’ll just leave this here.

When you’re hot, you’re hot. And right now, Cora is pushing all of the right buttons.

Even Kimbrel came on in the 9th and looked like the guy he’s been for nearly all of his career. Straight gas, straight dominance. There’s still plenty of baseball to play, but it’s tough to ask for a better start for the Sox in this series.

Key to World Series Game 2

One last thing, that I’ll be watching for tonight: How will Roberts deploy his lineup and bench against David Price? In Game 1 the Dodgers manager went all righties against Sale, will he do the same in Game 2 or roll with his best guys? Either way, it’s interesting how Cora looked like the guy who has managed in a World Series before, while Roberts’ micro-managing screamed “first year on the job”. We’ll see if that script flips.

Three Keys to Winning the World Series

The Sox are just four wins away, and we now know the final opponent is the Los Angeles Dodgers. Boston has played near perfect baseball throughout the postseason and are positioned to win the franchise’s ninth World Series championship. With the Dodgers returning to the Fall Classic for the second straight year, they are no easy foe. Many small factors can provide a big swing in this series, and there is a few the Sox ought to hope go their way to help capture another World Series.

The Bullpen:

So far in October, the bullpen has been tremendous. Most baseball fans had written off the bullpen, saying that there wasn’t any reliable options to bridge to Kimbrel. Rather the opposite has been the case, the bridge of Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier and Joe Kelly has been formidable. It has been Kimbrel who’s had the issues. However, Craig Kimbrel seemed to find his form in game five, as he closed the Astros out fairly easily, with some of his throwback stuff. If the middle inning guys can continue to pull their weight, it would make this series a lot easier on the stress levels of Sox Nation.

The Manager:

Everyone in Boston and their grandma loves Dodgers manager/Red Sox hero Dave Roberts. However, the man that matters most this series, is Alex Cora. Through the two beatdowns the Sox have delivered in New York and in Houston, their manager has continued to look genius. Every decision has been genius when deciding between Brock Holt or Ian Kinsler, or Eduardo Nunez or Rafael Devers. Or even behind the plate, between Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez. Every decision has been well calculated and every decision has paid off. If Cora continues to pull strings like this, and when managing his bullpen, the Sox are going to be damn near unstoppable.

The Game 2 Starter:

Just like I predicted, David Price showed up in his second start of the ALCS and he dealt. He shook the monkey off his back and has turned his postseason narrative right around. To solidify this newfound reputation and to grow his legacy more, the start in game two of the World Series is crucial. Whether Chris Sale can overcome his “stomach issues” and pitch well in game one or not, game two will be huge. Either Sale pitches well, and it’s on Price to get the series to the west coast with the Sox up 2-0. Or Sale struggles, and then David Price is pitching to save the Sox season from going to L.A. down 0-2. Whichever way it pans out, the start from Price will be a turning point in this series.

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The Boston Red Sox Are Your 2018 AL Champs

A few rapid reactions to the Red Sox winning the pennant for the first time since 2013, right after I finish the most embarrassing poster in the history of signage…

More than anything else, this has been a season about silencing the haters and doubters. The Red Sox won back to back AL East titles in 2016 and 2017, but only had a single playoff win to show for it. Mookie Betts followed up an MVP runner-up season with a step back last year. Jackie Bradley Jr is a killer outfielder who couldn’t hit his way out of a paper bag. Alex Cora was a first year manager taking over the team with baseball’s largest payroll. David Price had more than enough demons to deal with. JD Martinez was a premier free agent signing, but he wasn’t Giancarlo Stanton. And that’s just scratching the surface.

The list of question marks entering this season seemed endless.The Sox responded for seven months with nothing but definitive, defiant, and resounding answers en route to a franchise record 108 wins. Even so, the questions started creeping in once more after a tough game loss to the Astros. Boston rose to the challenge yet again.

On Thursday night, the Red Sox won their 115th game of the season to punch their ticket to the World Series, beating the defending champs in 5 games. Any questions anyone had about this team has been officially rendered moot.

David Price Steps Up

Game 5’s story starts with David Price. With Chris Sale sidelined an extra game with a stomach illness, and the bullpen taxed to the limit, Boston needed their most expensive player to come through. Price, finally and triumphantly, delivered.

The left-hander tossed 6 shutout innings, allowing only three hits and striking out 9. He had all his pitches working, and located them with ease.

Price has gotten so much flak for his past postseason struggles, but he absolutely rose to the challenge in a huge spot last night. As John Lackey can attest, the quickest way to win over Red Sox Nation is to win in October. It looks like Price is well on his way to doing just that.

Devers and Martinez Go Yard

JD Martinez got the Sox going in the top of the 3rd with this absolute ROCKET to left field:

Martinez was 1-11 through the first three games of this series, but he turned it on in Games 4 and 5, going 4-7 with a HR and a pair of RBI. If he can keep it going through the World Series, the Brewers or Dodgers will be in trouble.

The difference in this one was a 3-run Devers dinger in the top of the 6th.

Remember earlier in this postseason when Eduardo Nunez was the starting third baseman? Yeah, me neither. Devers continues to be clutch in the playoffs. Some quick stats floating around during the game last night:

  • Devers has joined the short list of players with 3+ postseason homers before their 22nd birthday. The other names on the list: Mickey Mantle, Miguel Cabrera, Bryce Harper, and Andruw Jones.
  • Devers is now tied with Miguel Cabrera for second-most postseason RBI by players 21 or younger.
  • Here’s Raffy’s line through 10 playoff games: 36 PA, .354/.417/.645, 3 HR, 12 RBI.

I’m starting to think this kid might have a bright future ahead of him.

Jackie Bradley Jr: ALCS MVP

That’s right, Jackie Bradley Jr. was the most valuable player in this series. He only had 3 hits in 17 at-bats, but he made each one count. His 9 RBI were a series high, and the Sox absolutely could not have done it without him. Bradley has often been a divisive player, whose defensive prowess is consistently at odds with his lack of offensive consistency. But, he’s the longest tenured everyday player on the roster, and it’s awesome to see him have his moment in the postseason.

Other Observations

  • What a sick twist of fate that Game 4’s controversial fan interference call was essentially erased by an almost identical play by Betts last night. If you needed any more evidence that the Curse of the Bambino is long gone, look no further.
  • Alex Bregman probably regrets logging into Instagram before Game 3, huh? Price wasn’t about to let him forget it, either. Good news is the Astros third baseman will have plenty of time to mull things over this winter.
  • Cora was occasionally unconventional, and occasionally left me scratching my head over some of his choices. None of it mattered. He’s pushed just about every right button through the first two rounds of postseason play.
  • Nathan Eovaldi has been nails all postseason. He came up big yet again with four outs late in this one, to bridge the gap to Craig Kimbrel in the 9th. For all of the chatter about Dave Dombrowski’s inability to address the bullpen midseason, he absolutely crushed the Eovaldi and Steve Pearce acquisitions.
  • Craig Kimbrel wasn’t perfect, but he looked better than he has in weeks. Hopefully that’s a sign he’s coming out of this funk.
  • Here’s Andrew Benintendi’s game-winning catch from Game 4 again, because I can’t stop watching it.
  • The Red Sox have 4 more wins to go before winning their 4th championship in 15 seasons. October 23rd can’t come soon enough. For now, time to celebrate. What a night, what a series, what a win.

3 Up, 3 Down From ALCS Games 1-3

The Red Sox nudged ahead in the race for the AL pennant on Tuesday night, beating the Astros 8-2 to take a 2-1 series lead. There’s been plenty of good and bad from the Sox through three games so far. Let’s dive in.

3 Up

Jackie Bradley Jr. Let’s kick things off with the biggest story from Game 3. With 2 outs in the top of the eighth, and the Sox clinging to a 4-2 lead, Roberto Osuna tried to sneak a fastball by JBJ. Bradley launched that pitch into orbit:

Bradley Jr. now has 7 RBIs in 3 games in the ALCS. For comparison, David Ortiz had 11 RBIs in 7 games in 2004. The Red Sox centerfielder only has two hits this series, but he’s made them count.

Any offense from Bradley Jr. is a welcome bonus, of course. But, it’s great to see him have a postseason moment after a strong finish to the regular season (.282/.349/.501 after June 23rd).

Steve Pearce – Prior to JBJ’s Grandest Slammy in the 8th, the biggest moment of Game 3 was Steve Pearce wrapping a shot around the left field foul pole to give the Red Sox a 3-2 lead in the 6th.

I’ve said it before, but this guy has been a game-changing pickup for Boston. Mitch Moreland has been sidelined by a sore hamstring, and Pearce has just taken over. The 35 year old utility man has hit .304 this postseason, and provided excellent defense at first base to boot. Moreland has been the guy at that corner for most of the season, but Alex Cora has been rewarded for riding the hot bat/glove.

Red Sox Bullpen – Is the Boston bullpen actually…good? In 12.1 innings this series, Sox relievers have posted a 3.66 ERA. That includes Brandon Workman’s Game 1 implosion. Otherwise, they’ve been damn near shutdown. That’s huge, considering how big of a weak spot that aspect of the team appeared to be coming into the playoffs.

I wrote in September that the Sox could win in October without a dominant bullpen. It seems like they’re holding up their end of the bargain, so far.

3 Down

JD Martinez – Martinez drove in the first run of Game 3 with an RBI double down the right field line. Outside of that, he’s been a complete non-factor. Martinez has mustered only 1 hit in 11 ABs, and has only reached base an additional 2 times. The Astros have been feeding him a steady diet of low and away breaking balls, and it’s working so far.

If the Red Sox plan on closing this series out, they’ll likely need their anchor to come through in a big spot. We’ll see if he can snap out of this funk.

Postseason Price – Good news: a Major League Baseball team won a postseason game started by David Price. Bad news: David Price still didn’t get the win, after getting pulled from Boston’s Game 2 victory midway through the 5th inning.

I’m not going to re-tread tired ground too much here, but it continues to amaze me that a pitcher with so much success continues to bring next to no value in the postseason. As of now, the Sox will be turning to Price in Game 6 (if necessary). That is still a frightening prospect.

Third Base Defense – This is turning into a black hole. Cora keeps throwing Eduardo Nunez into the mix, and Nunez continues to misplay ground balls and terrify all of New England.

Rafael Devers has gotten some run as well at the hot corner, and has at least hit the ball. Unfortunately, he’s not exactly Brooks Robinson in the field either. That reality reared its ugly head during the bottom of the 5th:

Not helping matters is Alex Bregman vacuuming up anything that moves on the other end. Fingers crossed that Boston’s third base defense doesn’t end up costing them too much in the end.

Rick Porcello takes the mound against Charlie Morton in Game 4 tonight. Porcello has been gutsy as hell this October. Another big time performance will give the Sox a commanding lead in this series.

Why David Price Has Earned Another Start

Much has been made over the years, into this postseason, about David Price. It goes without saying that he hasn’t been Sandy Koufax or Madison Bumgarner in the playoffs. However, there were many elements of Sunday night’s start that provide us with signs that Price has turned a corner. For the first time in his career, his team won a game that he started. It goes deeper than that, from pitching out of jams to limiting damage.

Game Two:

Last night, David Price wasn’t perfect, but he was good enough. The walks were a little concerning, but the overall perseverance of Price was enough to earn him another start in a potential game six. The line isn’t gorgeous, four runs on four walks and five hits, but it did the trick. The bullpen did its job like I tried to tell you all before. The Sox won, which is obviously the priority, and Price showed progress in his ability to pitch in October.

Looking at the four runs, they came on two big hits. One came in the second off the bat of George Springer, and another in the third from Marwin Gonzalez. Both were strikes, yes, but neither were bad pitches by any means. Springer was able to swing inside out and just tuck one over Steve Pearce‘s head. With two outs in the inning, both runners were able to score easily, but that was an at-bat that easily could’ve gone Price’s way. When it comes to the Gonzalez home run, again, it wasn’t a bad pitch at all. In fact, the entire at-bat was well calculated and executed. The Astros slugger was just able to get his hands around on a tough pitch up and in and he drove it. Neither pitch that was costing of runs was a bad pitch, just a better swing.

Looking Ahead to Price in Game 6:

So, with everything considered, I believe Price actually pitched very well. If it were anybody else besides Gonzalez that came to the plate in the fifth, he would’ve stayed in the game. In all likelihood, he would’ve been in position for his first career postseason win as a starter. Alex Cora made the right decision matchup-wise, but David’s stuff was good enough for him to pitch another inning.

Going forward, Price deserves another start and he will deliver in the said start. He was very reliant on his fastball and seemed to shy away from the changeup. If he can gain some traction when it comes to throwing that changeup, he could really stifle this gritty Astros lineup. Barring a three-game sweep of the games in Houston, Price will start the biggest game of his career, a game six at Fenway Park in an elimination game. David Price has earned it, and he will come through again for this team.

Red Sox Hang On, Draw First Blood in ALDS

A few quick thoughts on the return of Red Sox-Yankees postseason baseball, right after I hand out some high fives to Will, Chuckie, Morgan, and Billy…

What a way to kick things off, huh? The Sox jumped out early, and managed to hang on for a 5-4 win to take Game 1 at Fenway Park. Boston hit the ground running, thanks to a 3-run laser over the Monster from JD Martinez:

From there, the Sox seemed like they were on cruise control, extending the lead to 5-0 after plating a couple more runs in the third. Everything was working in their favor early. Guys were getting on base. Alleged “Red Sox Killer” JA Happ was bounced after 2+ innings. Chris Sale was dealing.

Then, Alex Cora decided to take his ace out in the top of the 6th, and it all (almost) went to hell.

I completely understand the logic behind pulling Sale. He wasn’t right all September, and the plan all season long has been to conserve the lanky lefty as much as possible. Sale also had allowed two hits already that inning, and had thrown 93 pitches (his highest total since July 27th).

On the flip side, Sale was nearly untouchable while he was in the game. His much scrutinized fastball velocity returned to the 94-96 mph range, after sitting in the low 90s during his final regular season start. His slider was in peak form, both in terms of break and placement:

Sale was charged with 2 runs in 5.1 innings, while striking out 8. All things considered, it was a great bounce back performance from his last postseason start. However, it wasn’t enough for Cora to trust him to work out of a 6th inning jam.

The Yankees immediately stormed back with Sale out, while Ryan Brasier and Brandon Workman took turns spiking curves 8 feet in front of home plate. To Workman’s credit, he did manage to stop the sixth inning bleeding with a BALLSY 3-2 hook to Gleyber Torres with the bases juiced.

Cora stuck with Workman to start the 7th, and he promptly gave up a pair of singles to Andrew McCutchen and Aaron Judge. Enter Matt Barnes, who then walked Brett Gardner to load the bases.

Barnes eventually was able to slither out of trouble, allowing only one run to score on a fielder’s choice.

All of this is to say that things were so indescribably shaky that Cora felt the need to bring in former AL Cy Young Award winner and scheduled Game 3 starter Rick Porcello to bridge the gap to Craig Kimbrel. It worked – Porcello recorded two 8th inning outs on only 15 pitches to set up a 4-out save for Kimbrel. However, it was a move that reeked of desperation. Perhaps a more seasoned manager would not have pressed the Porcello panic button in Game 1. Either way, it goes to show that this Sox bullpen is clearly going to be a problem going forward this postseason.

Kimbrel was able to shut the door on this one, despite giving up a leadoff home run to Judge in the 9th. Outside of that, Kimbrel had his good stuff, including this obscene knuckle-curve to hand Giancarlo Stanton his Golden Sombrero:

Kimbrel mopped up Luke Voit with a 98 mph heater to end it, and give the Sox a white-knuckle playoff win. Phew.

Other Observations

  • David Price is on the hill tonight for the Sox. I feel better about him in a Game 2 at home than an elimination game in Yankee Stadium. That isn’t saying much.
  • The Red Sox bullpen wasn’t great (le duh). The bottom of the lineup, however, was even worse. Nunez, Kinsler, Leon and Bradley went a combined 1-13. Granted, the Sox have been top-heavy all season long. But it’s hard to feel great about their chances this month if the bottom half is going to be a collective zero.
  • It’s hard to fear Stanton after a 4 K effort at the plate. I am, however, terrified of Voit and Judge. Just wanted to update where my head is at.
  • Sandy Leon was the real MVP last night. He made block after block while the Red Sox middle relievers played “Who Can Bounce A Baseball Best?”. On a night where Ron Darling described Gary Sanchez as an “excellent” defensive catcher, it was nice to see Leon step up and show why he’s in the lineup.
  • All that being said, HUGE win in Game 1, to (somewhat) silence the doubters that this 108-win team would get steamrolled by their second-place rivals. We’re on to Game 2.

Red Sox-Yankees ALDS Preview Extravaganza

It’s pretty hard to believe it’s been 14 years since we’ve had a playoff series featuring Major League Baseball’s premier rivalry. The Red Sox and Yankees will kick off their first postseason matchup since 2004 later tonight, and on paper it looks to be a doozy. Two 100-win juggernauts. Over $400 million in combined payroll. Stars all over the diamond. History everywhere. I can’t wait.

I’ll be breaking down both sides of this series, and then picking a winner at the end. But before we get into all of that, let’s take a little trip down memory lane:

Okay, glad we got that out of our systems. On to the good stuff.

Starting Lineup

The Red Sox led the majors in just about every major offensive category this season. They placed first in total runs, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, and wOBA. Boston was led by MVP-caliber seasons from Mookie Betts (.346/.438/.640) and JD Martinez (.330/.402/.629), though the Sox received significant contributions from others as well. Andrew Benintendi improved dramatically on his rookie campaign. Jackie Bradley Jr. slashed .282/.349/.502 over his final 284 plate appearances after a dismal start. Xander Bogaerts finally shook off his second half demons to post a career year.

And yet, there are some holes, and question marks (specifically at second base, third base, and catcher). Meanwhile, the Yankees offense is just as potent, if not more so. The Bronx Bombers tied the Dodgers for the best wRC+ in baseball (the Red Sox were a close 3rd). They also broke the Major League record for home runs in a season, with 269. That last one is a big point in the Yankees favor, as teams who hit more HR tend to have more success in October.

The slugging starts with Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge, who both homered in Wednesday’s Wild Card game. Luke Voit has been a revelation at first base, where his 188 OPS+ over 148 PA has lengthened an already long lineup and provided a boon desperately needed after poor seasons from Greg Bird and Gary Sanchez. That’s not to mention the production from rookies Miguel Andujar and Gleybar Torres. Plus, Brian Cashman was able to throw former NL MVP Andrew McCutchen into the mix in August.

The Sox have a great offense, but it feels like New York’s is a bit more formidable for this time of year.

Slight Edge: Yankees

Starting Pitching

Here’s how the first three starting pitching matchups seem to be shaking out:

Game 1 – J.A. Happ vs. Chris Sale

Game 2 – Mashiro Tanaka vs. David Price

Game 3 – Rick Porcello vs. Luis Severino

That certainly feels like it favors the Red Sox. Three AL Cy Young Award winners should be enough to tip this category in Boston’s favor. That is, until you include each pitcher’s career postseason ERA…

Game 1 – J.A. Happ (3.72) vs. Chris Sale (8.38)

Game 2 – Masahiro Tanaka (1.44) vs. David Price (5.03)

Game 3 – Rick Porcello (5.47) vs. Luis Severino (4.50)

Look, I get it. Postseason baseball is a small sample size, and past performance isn’t always indicative of future performance, especially in that scenario. But it’s hard to feel too confident, given Price’s non-Rays playoff history, Porcello’s inability to keep the ball in the yard, and Sale’s dip in velocity since returning from multiple summer DL stints. The Yankees starters might not have the same upside, but they certainly feel less volatile. The Happ acquisition continues to loom large. He’s undefeated since joining the Yankees, and has a career 2.98 ERA against the Red Sox. If he can beat Sale in Game 1, it’ll be a bad omen for the Sox’s chances through the weekend. I’m choosing to trust that the Red Sox starters are ready to turn a corner this postseason, but I don’t feel great about it.

Slight Edge: Red Sox

Bullpen

I’ll save you the suspense. This is a huge win (obviously) for the Yankees, and will likely be the deciding factor should the Yankees come out on top. The Red Sox bullpen, while much maligned over the past month, has actually been perfectly above average this season. Craig Kimbrel still looms at the end of games as a premier closer, and rebounded from a mid-summer swoon with a 13 appearance stretch where he allowed only 3 hits and 1 earned run between 8/12 and 9/21. Still, a 4 run implosion in his second to last appearance of the year against the lowly Orioles bumped his ERA to 2.74, the second worst mark of his career.

The rest of the Sox bullpen is fine. Solid, unspectacular, and far from reliable (unless you’re really into the Matt Barnes Experience).

The Yankees ‘pen, conversely, reads like a damn All-Star team. There’s Chapman and Britton. There’s Betances and Robertson. Chad Green may not have as big of a name as his teammates, but he might be the most consistent of the bunch. New York can trot any and all of these guys out there in a high leverage situation, and be reasonably comfortable that the outcome will be in their favor. They led the league in reliever fWAR, and while the Red Sox have had their share of come-from-behind wins this year, they’ll be hard pressed to overcome any substantial deficits in this series.

Major Edge: Yankees

Bench X Factor

Steve Pearce has been a terrific mid-season addition for the Red Sox, providing a boost at a premium offensive position as Mitch Moreland struggled down the stretch. But Brock Holt is the guy here. He can play nearly every position on the diamond, and had perhaps the best all-around season of his career. Holt slashed .277/.362/.411 with a 109 OPS+ this year, and had plenty of clutch moments off the bench:

Holt had 5 hits in 15 pinch-hitting plate appearances, 4 of which went for extra bases. Alex Cora will almost definitely call his number in a tight spot again this series, and Holt will need to deliver.

For the Yankees, Austin Romine *should* be the starting catcher. But, because the baseball gods would never want to deprive us of the joy of watching Gary Sanchez trot after yet another passed ball, he’s stuck in a platoon. If Aaron Boone is smart, he’ll put his best lineup on the field. Fingers crossed nobody gives him a heads up.

Edge: Red Sox

Manager

Cora has been a breath of fresh air for the Red Sox off the field and in the clubhouse this season. After two years of underachieving relative to their talent, the Sox took off under their first year manager’s watch. Cora hasn’t been perfect with his in game decisions, and it does seem like he lingers with guys a bit longer than I would like. However, he’s been excellent as rookie managers go on the whole.

I’ll just say I don’t get the same vibe from Boone, and leave it at that. Plus, I kind of miss Joe Girardi and his binder.

Edge: Red Sox

The Pick

I really want to pick the Yankees. While I think the Red Sox are a better team overall, and better suited for a full 162 game slate, New York feels built for the postseason, especially a short series. The bullpen discrepancy is a major check in the Yankees favor. In a series that figures to be as tight as this one, such an advantage is a major red flag for Boston.

But screw that. What’s the point of writing for a Red Sox blog if you don’t think the best regular season team in franchise history can make it out of the first round?

RED SOX IN 5

Red Sox Shut Down Tyler Thornburg

Red Sox manager Alex Cora made an unsurprising announcement earlier this week when he revealed that reliever Tyler Thornburg would be shut down for the remainder of 2018.

There were two glaring reasons for this call by Cora. First, Thornburg’s recovery from thoracic outlet syndrome is ongoing. That injury caused him to miss all of 2017 and much of 2018. While the 29 year-old righty made progress this season, his manager noted he was beginning to fatigue down the stretch.

“There’s no need to push him hard,” Cora told reporters prior to Wednesday’s doubleheader vs. Baltimore. Which, of course, makes perfect sense given the severity of TOS.

However, if Thornburg had performed at a high level in his return to the Boston bullpen mix, would Cora be singing the same tune?

The second obvious reason for giving Thornburg the rest of the autumn off renders that question moot. Thornburg simply hasn’t been effective this season. He posted a 5.63 ERA over 24 innings in 25 appearances, with unflattering peripherals. His last outing was on Sept. 14th, in which he allowed three runs in 2/3rds of an inning (and two HR).

Thornburg’s velocity never really bounced back to 2016 levels, either. Per Brooks Baseball, Thornburg’s average fastball velocity was two mph slower than his last year in Milwaukee.

Mix all of that together, and the smart move was clearly to shut down Thornburg for the year. You won’t get any qualms from me there. However, it does sting to have to mark up yet another effectively lost season for one of Dave Dombrowski’s premier bullpen acquisitions, especially with so many questions swirling about this group of relievers.

The Red Sox acquired Thornburg via trade from the Brewers in December 2016. At the time, the move made total sense. Outgoing Travis Shaw had proven to be a solid, yet unspectacular corner infield option. And, after striking out on Carson Smith Boston felt that another quality reliever was the missing piece to October success.

To his credit, Thornburg was coming off of an excellent 2016. He posted a 2.67 ERA with 12.1 K/9 and 13 saves as the Brewers set-up man in front of closer Jeremy Jeffress. The hope was to combine Thornburg with Smith, to provide a formidable 7th-8th inning duo come playoff time.

Unfortunately for the Sox, things went off of the rails almost immediately. Thornburg injured his shoulder that spring, which led to a war of words between him and the front office. Thornburg claimed that a new fitness program implemented by the Red Sox training staff caused the injury, which ruffled more than a few feathers around the organization. That shoulder fatigue/soreness only worsened as the year went along. The right-hander did not throw a pitch for the Sox in 2017.

Not helping matters in all of this: Shaw has turned into a strong infield power bat for the Brew Crew. In 293 games across two seasons, Shaw has slashed .258/.348/.497 with 62 HR and a 120 OPS+. He’s amassed 8.1 bWAR over that span, compared to Thornburg’s -0.1 bWAR. Any way you slice it, the trade has been a huge win for Milwaukee, and a difficult pill to swallow for the Red Sox.

Thornburg underwent surgery in June, after his shoulder pain continued into 2018. He was finally able to make his Red Sox debut on July 6th. While this season has been a step in the right direction, it hasn’t been enough to earn him a spot on the playoff roster.

The plan is that a full, proper offseason will go a long way toward’s Thornburg’s continued recovery, and ensure he’ll be a contributing member of next season’s roster. Although, as the Red Sox have learned: people plan, and the Baseball Gods laugh.

Red Sox Break Franchise Record For Wins In A Season

Move over Tris Speaker and Smokey Joe Wood, there’s a new Sox sheriff in town.

Boston won its 106th game Monday night, defeating the hapless Orioles 6-2 at Fenway Park. With the win, the 2018 Sox have now won more regular season games than any other team in the franchise’s history. That’s a pretty incredible feat, considering the Red Sox have been around for 118 seasons.

As if breaking a century-plus old record wasn’t enough, the Red Sox also clinched the best record in baseball. Home field advantage: actually good.

Mookie Betts: Award Tour

As has been the case for nearly all of 2018, Boston’s victory was spearheaded by the AL MVP favorite. Betts was electrifying once again, going 2-5 with a 2-run homer and a stolen base.

The dinger was an absolute rocket, and capped off a four-run 2nd inning for the Sox. Orioles starter Dylan Bundy hung a 1-0 breaking ball over the dead-center of the plate, and Betts went windshield-hunting on the Mass Pike:

Getting taken deep is nothing new for Bundy; he’s allowed an MLB-worst 39 big flies this season. As for Betts, he’s certifiably on fire again. He has 10 hits in his last 20 ABs, with 3 HR and 8 doubles. He’s also only one steal away from a 30-30 season. Betts has all but locked up the MVP award with an absolutely stellar year. He leads the majors in batting average and bWAR, and has been the most consistently excellent all-around player in baseball. Betts’ 2018 season is also the best individual Red Sox season (per bWAR) since Pedro Martinez in 2000, and best by a position player since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. In short, it’s been a historic year, on a historic team.

Eovaldi Makes His Case

The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported on Saturday that Nathan Eovaldi had a chance to supplant Eduardo Rodriguez in the playoff rotation. Eovaldi certainly made his case for the 4th spot on Monday night. He allowed only 1 run (while striking out 10 Orioles) over 5 innings of work.

Rodriguez made his first appearance out of the bullpen, as well. He followed up Eovaldi’s start with two shutout innings of his own.

Manager Alex Cora has said who starts Game 4 of the ALDS will be matchup dependent. At this point it makes sense that Eovaldi has closed the gap on Rodriguez. E-Rod has been inconsistent in four starts this month after missing half of July and all of August on the disabled list. He’s posted a 5.79 ERA in his September starts, mixing a pair of solid outings against sub-.500 teams with a pair of poor efforts vs. playoff-bound Houston and New York.

Of course, who is actually slated to start that game could be a moot point. Should the Red Sox sweep (or get swept), or fall into a 2-1 series deficit, we might not see a 4th starter in the ALDS, anyway. Still, it’s a key theme to keep an eye on over the final week of the season.

The Red Sox have made history, and checked all of the boxes that they’ve needed to check this season. They can effectively plan for the postseason, having secured their place at the top of Major League Baseball and as the best regular season Red Sox team in franchise history.

Time will tell whether or not this has any bearing in October, when the records are reset to 0-0 and chaos reigns supreme.