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Red Sox – Angels Series Preview

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With the unfortunate postponement of Monday’s annual Patriots Day game, it is time to look on to the upcoming road trip for the Sox. Their first stop will be at Anaheim to face the red hot Angels. This was already going to be such an intriguing series, but it got even more exciting as we learned the new superstar Shohei Ohtani, will be facing Boston in the first game of this set. And who will he be facing? David Price.

The next two matchups will be Rick Porcello against Tyler Skaggs on Wednesday, and Erod versus Nick Tropeano on Thursday.

So far this year, 16 games in for the Angels, and 15 games in for the Red Sox, Boston is 13-2, while Anaheim is riding a 13-3 record. Both teams are also leading their divisions in the early going. So yeah, it doesn’t take an expert to realize these teams have been on fire to start the year.

Talent in Anaheim

Let’s now look into how these teams have gotten to where they are now. As far as the Angels go, their rotation led by Garrett Richards, Tyler Skaggs, and some guy named Shohei Ohtani, has been solid. Their bullpen has also been strong led by Noe Ramirez (an old Red Sox), Blake Wood, Jose Alvarez, and their closer Keynan Middleton. Those four have combined to give up only three runs in 34 innings. Pretty decent.

The Angels offense led by Ohtani, Pujols, Justin Upton, and many who say is the greatest in the game, Mike Trout, have also been very productive in the early going. They’ll definitely be a challenge for the Red Sox rotation in this upcoming series.

Showtime Ohtani

Now remember when I mentioned that guy Shohei Ohtani, who’s in the rotation? Yeah, well not only can that guy pitch, but he can hit the ball 400 feet too. It’s really incredible to see what he’s done thus far. He had such high expectations going into the season. After the awful spring he had, everyone wrote him off. Some said he could start the season in AAA.

He has come right out of the gate and hit .367 with a .767 OBP. He’s also hit three home runs. Pretty good numbers right? You have to know that this all comes with him also starting two games and getting two wins. In his last start against Oakland, he took a perfect game into the seventh inning, striking out 12 and only giving up one hit. I’ll tell you right now this man does not look fun to hit against. He throws an easy 100 mph with a 68 mph curveball, along a nasty splitter. Just insane what this guy has done so farm and it will be fun to keep an eye on as time goes on.

No Bogaerts No Problem

The Red Sox starting pitching kept it going this weekend. After a huge series victory against New York last Thursday, the Red Sox took all three games this weekend against Baltimore. They got strong starts from Rodriguez, Velazguez, and five great innings from Chris Sale in the brutal cold weather.

I recently wrote a piece on how even though Xander Bogaerts is out for a little while, there is no need to worry. And I 100% stand by that. Tzu Wei Lin, who was called up after the Bogaerts injury, played all three games this weekend against the Orioles. In 12 AB’s he hit .500 with a .571 OBP. It seemed like every time he was up, he was hitting the ball hard somewhere. You also can’t forget the great defense he played throughout the series at shortstop.

This is the thing I’ve been most impressed with this Sox team so far. Even with Bogaerts, the hottest hitter on the team at the time getting hurt, the offense still thrived and they still found ways to win.

Boston’s Versatility

On Saturday, after a collision at home plate in the bottom of the first inning, Mookie was taken out of the game after the fourth inning. No big deal. JBJ just moved to right and made one of the most spectacular catches you’ll ever see.

Mookie, along with Nunez, were out of Sunday’s game with the weather being ugly and Cora just being cautious. No big deal. Andrew Beninendi and Lin drove in a run apiece and won the game. This team has found ways to win even without key guys. The bullpen was also sneaky good in the Orioles series, which is another great sign.

So there is no doubt in my mind that this upcoming series is an incredible matchup and should be a fun next three games at Angel stadium in Anaheim. It all starts with David Price taking the bump against Shohei Ohtani on Tuesday night. You won’t want to miss this.

Is Rick Porcello Back?

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It seems as though a spring of Derek Lowe whispering sweet nothings has done Rick Porcello a whole lot of good this season so far.

Last Season

Flashing back to 2017 is a tough ride for Porcello, as he had almost as many losses as he did wins from his 2016 CY Young season. Rick came in with a cool 11-17, and it was clear nothing much was working in his favor. The Red Sox, although a contending team, did not provide Porcello his usual run support, which in turn lead to a collapse in performance on the mound. By the time that the bats ended up pulling through, it was clear that Porcello was a ghost of his consistent self the year before. Porcello by the end of the year was locating that devastating sinker straight down the pipe, and ended the season with an ERA of 4.65 and leading the league in home runs with 38. Needless to say, a couple got away from the big man. This year could be different though.

What Has Changed

Here we are in 2018, and the Rick Porcello you knew last year is a ghost. Why do I say that? Although Porcello (3-0) is never going to be that lights-out pitcher at the top of your order, having him third in the rotation is comforting. Porcello has seemed to relocate his sinker back to where it belongs, in those tight corners of the zone the ump loves to give you. Although not all of those sinkers having been painting the corners, when Porcello misses his spots it seems as though he’s getting the outs he needs in the field. What is crucial to Porcello’s arsenal is something that he has no control over. In 2016 the Red Sox had a team that could put runs on the board, and it seems to be happening this year whenever Porcello straps in.

Red Sox Run Support

While on the mound this season the Red Sox have been able to provide 19 runs in three games. In the last 34 starts that Porcello has had with 3+ runs of breathing room, he has gone 29-0. With a bolstered lineup, it seems as if the Red Sox may be able to provide Porcello with support a majority of the time he’s on the bump. Is it smart to rely on the Red Sox to put up 3+ runs every single game Porcello starts after the drought of last season? No, probably not. But it does appear that this 2018 Red Sox lineup has production throughout. The games that a major bat isn’t producing, the lower part of the order is picking up that slack.

For example, in Porcello’s Yankees home start, Sandy Leon started a second inning flurry of four runs. This early game production is something that Porcello will need to be a sustainable asset for Boston. It is clear that the Red Sox hitters who will be relied on for production later in the year aren’t fully here yet. But I doubt Benintendi will bat .231 all season. We didn’t pay J.D Martinez what we did in confidence that .227 was his ceiling. April baseball is deceiving.

Conclusion

So instead of grinding your teeth a bit when you see that Rick Porcello is starting like you did last year, I think it’s time to have confidence in the former Cy Young winner. So is Porcello back? With 162 games on the docket, this season is a long and winding road to make assumptions. But Porcello has two seasons in Boston with 180+ strikeouts. The only difference between the two seasons is the support he was getting in 2017 v. 2016. So my answer is simple. IF the Red Sox provide Rick Porcello 3+ run support by the third inning each game he goes out, he will end the season with 20 wins.

The First Series Between the Red Sox and Yankees of 2018 Was a Good One

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It looks like Red Sox vs Yankees in 2018 is off to a hot start. This past series between the two teams at Fenway Park was everything we were anticipating. Maybe even more.

Game 1

It all started with absolute onslaught of the Yankees on Tuesday night. Chris Sale went six strong, allowing only one run. Mookie Betts had the game of his life. He racked up four hits and a walk, including a grand slam that would put the cherry on top to make the score 14-1.

The second game was even crazier. It opened up with David Price allowing four runs in the first, and coming out with an apparent “sensation in his fingertips.” He ended up being okay and is planning to make his next scheduled start. In came the bullpen, which did great. Throwing eight innings of two run ball. Both runs? Courtesy of Matt Barnes. Of course.

Game 2

But the craziness started in the top of the third. Tyler Wade bunted to Rafael Devers, who threw to Brock Holt at second to start a double play. The only problem was the double play wasn’t able to be turned, as Holt got spiked in his calf by Tyler Austin, sparking a bench-clearing argument. If you thought that would be the end of that, you were wrong. Skip ahead to the top of the seventh, Austin was up with one out and nobody on. Joe Kelly was on the mound and drilled Austin in the back. Consequently, Austin slammed his bat to the ground, looked at Kelly as he said, “Let’s go”, and charged the mound. An epic brawl broke out, and Kelly and Austin were both ejected. The Red Sox would end up losing the game, 10-6.

All of the players seemed pretty upset about what happened. Everyone voiced their displeasure, including some of the coaches on each team, along with each manager. This will certainly linger throughout the whole year.

Game 3

With a huge game on Thursday, Rick Porcello took the mound. He came through, taking a no hitter into the seventh inning, allowing two hits and no runs. The offense scored six runs off the Yankees’ starter Sony Gray, and won the game 6-3. Kimbrel got the save at the end of the game. The Red Sox won the series, taking 2 out of 3 games.

To recap? Four words: The rivalry is back. All this time, everyone has been trying to force the rivalry back. It’s been going on for years now. The problem is that the Red Sox and Yankees haven’t really been good at the same time for a while. The last time these two went at it in the Postseason was 2004. That was 14 years ago.

When the Yankees got Giancarlo Stanton in the offseason, the Red Sox’ Twitter account quote tweeted a tweet about the news saying “Rivalry???.” Everyone took it as a stupid joke. But it won’t be anymore. With the Red Sox getting J.D. Martinez in the offseason, many predicted the rivalry can only get stronger in the years to come. We can now confirm this is true. And every single Red Sox and Yankee fan should be excited for what’s ahead.

It sure was a fun first series as we saw a whole lot of action. Home runs, good pitching, and just like old times, brawls. These are two very talented teams in the AL East, and they are not fond of each other. The rivalry isn’t a joke anymore. The rivalry is back, folks.

Don’t Worry About Xander Bogaerts’s Injury

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The Red Sox’ is off to a season has started off great start so far. The offense and pitching are firing on all cylinders. There is just one problem: Xander Bogaerts suffered an ankle injury sliding into the Rays’ dugout during Sunday’s game.

The Injury

It was the top of the seventh and Joey Wendle was up. Wendle hit a ball high in the air that ended up off of the monster. J.D. Martinez fielded the ball and made a throw that landed off the line to Bogaerts. But Xander, who thought someone was nearby to help, made the mistake of flipping the ball to third base; where nobody was at the moment. The ball rolled into the dugout. If the ball went into the dugout, a run would be granted to the Rays. So Xander, not letting that happen, slid into the dugout while getting the baseball. While he did save a run that ended up being crucial, he hurt himself.

He was be taken out of the game right away and was replaced by Brock Holt. Holt ended up making a nice play over at short to end the game and preserve a Sox win.

The problem was that nobody really knew how serious Bogaerts’s injury was. On Monday, it was announced that he would be heading to the DL with a “small crack” in his Talus bone. A bone in his foot. This will knock him out for about 10-14 days, so two weeks at the most.

The Effects

The thing that frustrates me the most about this injury is the fact that he was the hottest hitter on the team at the moment. He was hitting .368 with an OPS of 1.111. Pretty good if I had any say in it. But now that guy is gone for about two weeks. It isn’t the biggest deal in the world, but there is just one thing that worries me.

Last year, Bogaerts was hitting above .300 until he got hit in the hand during a game in Tampa. That ended up screwing him up for the rest of the year, as he would hit .230 the rest of the way. The injury clearly affected him. However, I am not saying that this new injury will make him flat-out stink for the rest of the season. I was on the Bogaerts train before the season started, and am proud to say that I still am. I very much believe that Xander Bogaerts can be one of, if not THE best hitter (batting average wise), in baseball when he is fully healthy. So let him rest, and come back better than ever. In the meantime, the Red Sox will have Tzu Wei Lin over at short along with Brock Holt.

And one more thing: if Bogaerts was going to get injured at all, it’s much better to have him get this injury early on than around when he got it last year. By the time he comes back, it will still be April. So let’s just sit back, relax and enjoy the Tzunami show. The X man will be back in no time.

 

Cover image courtesy of USA Latest News.

Red Sox vs. Yankees Preview

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Red Sox vs Yankees, one of the greatest rivalries in sports is about to continue on Tuesday. This could be a preview for the AL East Division title match-up throughout the year, and the games should be fun to watch. The games were a thrill last year, with the Yankees taking eleven in the series.

Preview

The series will last three games, going from Tuesday to Thursday. The Red Sox will come in at 8-1, which is first in the AL East. The Yankees will come in at 5-5, ranking third in the division. The probable pitchers are Sale and Severino in game one, Price against Tanaka in game two, and Porcello vs Gray in the finale. Xander Bogaerts was placed on the ten day DL, but the teams should be at full strength. First-year managers Alex Cora and Aaron Boone will be going at it for the first time.

What’s at Stake for the Red Sox

The Red Sox are 8-1, but they have played easy competition. The Marlins and Rays are unlikely to win more than 70 games, so the Red Sox must prove themselves. The Red Sox have not blown out the easy competition either. Six of the eight wins have been by two runs or less. One of those wins took extra innings, and another took a sixth run eighth inning.

The Red Sox lineup has been average at best so far, and they will be put to the test against a tough three starters. Comebacks will be unlikely, as the Yankees have the lethal 7-8-9 pairing of Robertson, Betances, and Chapman. Xander Bogaerts has been the best hitter in the lineup so far this season, and the Red Sox will need to find a way to score without him. Hitters who are struggling such as Jackie Bradley Jr. (115 avg), Andrew Benintendi (161 avg), and J.D. Martinez (226 avg) will all have to step up.

The rotation has been dominant so far, but the Yankees’ lineup will put that to the test. Luckily for the Sox, they have their three best starters going for them in the series. If the offense fails to produce runs, then the Sox will have to find ways to grind out wins. The bullpen has been shaky aside from Kimbrel, and they still do not have a determined eighth-inning man. If the games are tough and low scoring, then the Red Sox bullpen will have to win games.

What’s at Stake for the Yankees

The Yankees have been disappointing this year, with the offense to blame for the most part. Giancarlo Stanton has been the most notable, with twenty strikeouts in 42 at-bats. Aaron Judge has not been much better, with 13 strikeouts in 38 at-bats. If the games are low scoring, then the Yankees will have to grind out enough runs, and they have not shown the ability to do that. The Yankees are a team with a lot of power, but they are also screwed when they are not mashing the ball over the ballpark. The average pitching rotation has to be superb, and the offense has to find a way to score without many players that hit for average.

Don’t Overreact Either Way

The series will be exciting, but at the end of the day, it’s just the fourth series of the year. If they win or lose every game by 30 runs, not much can be taken out of the games because much will change from now until September. My prediction is that the Red Sox will take ⅔, with them winning the first and last games.

 

Cover image courtesy of USA Today.

Opening Weekend 2018 was a Success for the Sox

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Red Sox Home Opener- Thursday

Opening Day at Fenway finally arrived. David Ortiz and Aly Raisman yelled “play ball”, and Sox Nation rose to their feet. David Price had yet another successful game. Still with a 0.00 ERA, he held off runs for all seven innings he pitched. The frigid temperature couldn’t hold the Sox back from winning their home opener. The game was lacking any action until the seventh inning, when Tampa scored two runs. Then the eighth inning rolled around, and the Sox were running out of time… or so you thought. The Red Sox came back in the eighth inning to tie the game. Extra innings approached, and Fenway was still alive. Now into the 12th inning, Fenway started to heat up. Bases were loaded with Hanley Ramirez up at bat. Hanley hit a fly ball towards center field to carry in Mookie Betts to win the game 3-2. Bobby Poyner made his first appearance and struck out three Rays.

The Sox Grand Slam Has Arrived – Saturday

Xander Bogaerts has been on fire. He ended Saturday’s game with six RBI’s, and the coveted honor of hitting the first grand slam since September of 2016. Then, J.D. Martinez finally hit a long-awaited home run over the Monster. The defense was playing in a way that is something the organization could get used to. Jackie Bradley Jr. continued to show his strength in the outfield, along with a solid resume for a Gold Glove. Rick Porcello continued the great pitching from the starters, striking out seven of Tampa Bay Rays players. With Bogaerts’s grand slam, the Rays began to run through their bullpen. Ending the game at 10-3, the Red Sox were up 7-1 and still first in the AL East.

“He’s been an unbelievable hitter every year, Now he’s doing it with power. He’s a big threat at the plate. He always had that ability.” said Rick Porcello on Xander’s hitting.

“We can do that often. We feel we have a good offensive team. It’s just a matter of time,” said Alex Cora on the Red Sox defense.

The Best Comeback – Sunday

Eduardo Rodriguez made his official debut for the season. And Boston came back from a five run deficit. Up until the eighth inning, the Sox lineup had only gotten four hits. With six runs in the eighth, the Red Sox took the lead. Andrew Benintendi finally had his game winning moment. Hitting an RBI to bring in Mookie Betts, Benintendi hit to the warning track. For the first time in franchise history, the Red Sox are on an eight game win streak, with an 8-1 record so far. A final score of 8-7 the Sox swept the Rays at Fenway to prepare for the Yankees. Unfortunately, Xander Bogaerts was taken off the field with an ankle injury, which placed him on the DL, and Tzu Wei Lin was called up.

“First of all we pushed them to bring him in early. After that it was good at-bat after good at-bat. It was fun to watch.” said Cora.

“He’s human, so everybody can kind of go through a stretch. But we’re some good hitters, too,” Betts said. “I think it’s a mix of us putting together some good at-bats and putting some pressure and making him make pitches.”

Sources

Red Sox

MLB

ESPN

The Red Sox Bullpen Is a Major Early Flaw

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The 2018 Red Sox started off with a crushing loss on Opening Day. Ever since, however, they have now won eight straight. Even with the best start in franchise history, this team still has some flaws. And the guys over in the bullpen are a big one.

The bullpen wasted no time to blow their first game of the year. They blew a three run lead in the 8th inning against the Rays. Joe Kelly walked three guys, and Carson Smith would give up a two out, three RBI triple to Denard Span. Not good. What’s even worse is the fact that the pen hasn’t looked too much better ever since.

It was good for the most part in the rest of the series in Tampa. But in the Miami series, it was shaky to say the least. The problem about this Red Sox bullpen right now is the fact that there is really nobody to trust. With a 7-2 lead against the Marlins on Monday, Marcus Walden came in. He struggled to the point where Craig Kimbrel had to start warming up.

The following night, the Sox took a lead in the top of the 11th with a Benintendi base hit to right, scoring Nunez. The game was over, right? Nope. After Matt Barnes got the first two Marlins out of the bottom half of the inning, he walked the next 2. Not a good idea. He then gave up a line shot over Andrew Benintendi’s head in left. Barnes ultimately got bailed out by Justin Bour being slow, and a nice relay to gun down the winning run at the plate. The Red Sox ended up winning that game.

In the Home Opener on Thursday, David Price pitched seven scoreless innings. Carson Smith took over in the 8th, and what would he do? Allow a two-run homer to Matt Duffy of the Rays. Craig Kimbrel even struggled, as he loaded the bases in the 10th before getting out of his own jam. The Sox ended up rallying to win that game as well.

Now, there aren’t only negatives from these relievers so far. Heath Hembree and Joe Kelly did a great job on Tuesday. Also, the new lefty Bobby Poyner threw two shutout innings in the Home Opener, extra inning win.

The problem here is nobody right now besides Kimbrel, who has even had struggles of his own, is someone you can trust to come in late in a game and hold the other team off. Even with Tyler Thornburg making his Red Sox debut soon, this very well might be something Dave Dombrowski will have to address at the deadline. But as of right now, we can only work with who we have. So that means the guys in this pen will have to start being more reliable, and more consistent.

 

Cover image courtesy of Chowdaheadz Blog.

Sox Sweep Marlins

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Going In

The Red Sox started the series 3-1 while the Marlins were 2-2. The first game saw Trevor Richards face off against Brian Johnson. The second and final game saw Chris Sale square off José Ureña. The Red Sox’ bats came in quiet, only scoring ten runs in the first four games. The pitching staff has been great, as the starters gave up two runs in 24 innings. Miami was inconsistent in their opening series, with scores ranging from 10-6 to 2-1. On paper, the Red Sox should have had no trouble sweeping the rebuilding Marlins. The Red Sox swept the series, and here’s how that happened:

Improved Hitting and Consistent Pitching

The Sox scored seven runs in game one, the most so far this season. They got twelve hits, and home runs by Mookie Betts and Hanley Ramirez put the game away in the seventh. In the second game, they only got four runs, but the hitting was timely. Andrew Benintendi gave the Sox a 2-1 lead in the 11th with a single that knocked in Eduardo Nunez. After the Marlins, Hanley Ramirez hit a go-ahead double in the 13th that made it 4-2. The Red Sox hung on to win by the score of 4-2.

The pitching staff has been amazing through the first six games of the season. In the first game, Brian Johnson tossed six innings of one-run ball. Johnson has been a 4-A player for a few years now. He is out of options, so he will be in the major leagues for a long time if he can keep this up. In the second game, Chris Sale threw five innings of one-run ball. This is mediocre for Chris Sale standards, but good enough to give the Sox a chance. The bullpen threw eight innings, only giving up one run to get the win. Heath Hembree ended up with the save, making him the third Sox pitcher to get a save this season.

This staff has been great and should get even better. Drew Pomeranz, Eduardo Rodriguez, Steven Wright, and Tyler Thornburg should help the rotation when they return from their respective injuries. Drew Pomeranz has been good ever since he was traded to the Sox, and was great last year posting a 17-6 record. Eduardo Rodriguez has tons of potential, but his various injuries have shunned that potential. If he can live up to said potential, he will be a very good starter. Steven Wright had a great first half of 2016, and the knuckleballer could be a help if he can get his 2016 magic back. Tyler Thornburg has not pitched in 18 months because of injuries, but he could be a great late inning reliever when he comes back.

Other Notes

Andrew Benintendi is hitting .158, and JD Martinez is hitting .200. No need to overreact six games into the season, but they are two key guys in the lineup.

Gabe Kapler is the biggest idiot on the planet. Aaron Boone is a close second.

Alex Cora has been conservative with his starters as he said he was going to. Sale could have gone more than five innings, but no need to wear him out.

@Prime_Kyrie2

Red Sox Finish Road Trip with a Huge Win

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The Road Back to Boston

The Red Sox first road trip of the year is over, and boy did it end well. Chris Sale took the ball and clearly wasn’t at his best. He had some control issues and worked up a high pitch count early. But nonetheless, Sale threw five innings of one run ball. Not your usual Chris Sale start, but he did enough.

The relievers began coming in by the 6th, starting with Bobby Poyner, who went 1.2 scoreless innings. Carson Smith followed him to get one out, and left the game tied at one apiece. Joe Kelly  pitched a scoreless 8th and 9th and send the game to extras. After that, Kimbrel threw a shutout in the 10th to keep the game going.

Things Get Crazy

With one out in the top of the 11th, Eduardo Nunez was at second base with Andrew Benintendi at the plate. Benintendi, who’s been struggling thus far, came through and singled to right field to break the tie and give the Sox the lead. The only problem was, Kimbrel had already pitched. So who were they going to put in to try and get the save? Matt Barnes. Buckle up.

Barnes got the first two hitters out quickly, and everything was going smooth until he decided to walk two Marlins hitters. Not a good idea. But what was about to transpire is what I will applaud the most about this game. With two outs and runners on first and second, Cameron Maybin hit a rocket over Andrew Benintendi’s head to tie the game. Justin Bour racing around would be sent home, the Marlins were about to win the game. But nobody panicked.

Benintendi picked the ball up and made a perfect throw to the cutoff. Bogaerts, The X Man, threw a perfect one hopper to Vasquez to nail Bour at the plate, and continue the ballgame. They didn’t panic, executed the play perfectly, and got the job done.

Hanley Game Winner

Fast forward to the 13th, Hanley came on with two outs and Mookie Betts standing at second, Benintendi over at first. Hanley, who has been seeing the ball well all Miami series, took a breaking ball from Tayron Guerrero and drove it into left field, over Derek Dietrich’s head to drive in two runs. Clutch.

Heath Hembree, who pitched a scoreless 12th, came back out for the 13th to try and close the game. He worked around a one out base hit and closed the game out to give the Sox the 4-2 win and their fifth straight win.

What we saw in this game was heart. Every time time the Marlins did something well, Boston came back with something even better. You have to tip your cap to the bullpen (except Matt Barnes, of course) for doing what they did. Hanley coming through in a big moment like that was huge. Everything about the win was huge.

The Red Sox will end their road trip successful taking three from Tampa, and two from Miami, finishing with a record of 5-1. Up next is to Fenway for the home opener on Thursday at 2 PM.

 

Cover image courtesy of NBC Sports.

Red Sox Weekend Roundup 4/1

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The first official weekend of the 2018 regular season just passed us. We can all finally stop holding our breath. The season is indeed in its infancy and player performances should be taken logically. Averages are out of whack because some players are late bloomers during the long season. New teams need to rebuild or reconfigure team chemistry. Also, new managers are starting to figure out their systems as they go. However, there are a few notes from this weekend that can carry weight for the season’s entirety.

Xander Bogaerts is Back

The beloved short stop for the Red Sox seems to be already playing in mid-season form both on the field and in the box. Not only has he tormented Rays pitching, but also made some pivotal defensive plays. The double up on Mallex Smith in the 9th inning, which led to Kimbrel shutting the door completely on Denard Span for the final out of the game is one of these examples.

Thus, Bogaerts is really on the right track to get moved up in the lineup and most likely take Hanley’s spot in the 3 hole. He has a majority of at bats as a 3rd hitter in his career with a .315 batting average and a .819 OPS. Besides, Bogaerts batting third means he could see more at bats, which means a more productive lineup. I know some of you may be thinking this analysis is too early, but jump on the X train now or stay off forever. The bottom line is Red Sox baseball is better when Xander is playing great.

Yankees Suck

Yankees fans were already in trash talking mid-season form come last Thursday. As I’ve said before, this twoteam division race is going to be jam-packed with banter from both fan bases. All this means is there will be a more exciting game watching experience. This is a proper gauge for how each team’s talent stacks up against baseball’s best. The Yankees and Red Sox seem to now be at a peak in regards to team talent in the last five years. To see how these clubs perform under the spotlight, against serious talent fighting for two of the best fanbases in baseball is great. This season could jump-start a rivalry that has been in need of resuscitation in recent years, and I am extremely excited for that. Baseball is 1000 times better when the Sox and Yankees are good and fighting for a championship.

O Captain, My Captain!

After Saturday’s game, Alex Cora mentioned that Dustin Pedroia will be taking ground balls on grass in Miami. He has been going through his run progression for the last two weeks. Depending on how good Eduardo Nunez is playing at second base, Cora should really take his time getting Pedroia back to full speed. The 34 year old isn’t getting any younger, and the season is still only five days old as of now. There is no rush to get him back into the lineup.

Other Notes:

  • Red Sox starters have given up only 2 earned run in 23.3 innings pitched.
  • Christian Vazquez still thinks he’s the fastest runner on the team.
  • Brock Holt is on the 48 hour DL for chapped lips.
  • David Price is proving all of his haters wrong. I love it and so should you.

Featured Photo: (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

@ELJGON