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RED SOX – YANKEES SERIES PREVIEW

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After all of the optimism of last week, the Red Sox enter this series on a low. Having taken five of their previous six games, they are now on a four-game losing streak. Dropping two games to the rays was bad. Losing all three was a disaster. There was a real chance the Red Sox could have come into this series seven-ish games behind the Yankees, with the chance to get within five. Instead, they are 10.5 behind, and even if everything goes perfect they will still be over seven games behind.

7/25 Eduardo Rodriguez vs. James Paxton (L) 7:05 pm NESN

7/26 Chris Sale vs. Domingo German (R) 1:05 pm NESN

7/27 Brian Johnson vs. TBD 7:05 pm NESN

7/28 David Price vs. J.A. Happ (L) 7:00 pm ESPN

NOTABLE NUMBERS

PITCHERS

Eduardo Rodriguez really turned it on in July after a mixed start of the season. After allowing 52 earned runs in his first 97 2/3 innings, he allowed just seven earned runs in 31 innings in July, giving him a 2.03 ERA. His one Achilles heel here could be that he has a 4.35 ERA on the road, but much of that damage was done prior to the July turn around. Rodrguez could get the Red Sox off to a flying start in this series.

What a strange season it has been for James Paxton at home. In his first five home starts he allowed just one earned run in 26 2/3 innings with 37 strikeouts. However, in the last five starts in New York things have somewhat changed. In 21 1/3 innings he has allowed 19 earned runs with 24 strikeouts. It has been a clear season of two halves so far, so which Paxton will we see this time around?

Domingo German has been superb at home this season, with a 2.13 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 42 1/3 innings. He has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of those home starts. That matchup with Sale in the early start on Saturday is going to be a fascinating watch, but it might be hard for Sale to come out on top.

HITTERS

The Red Sox could not have a better combination of pitchers in this series, given they have three left-handed pitchers and the Yankees are distinctly average against lefties this season. They rank 15th in the league in batting average, 14th in slugging percentage and ISO, and 11th in K%.

So far the Red Sox offense has built through the season, and they appear to be peaking right now. Having hit just .239 in April/May, they hit .302 in July, with a .534 slugging percentage and 173 runs scored. They could not be heading into New York in much better form at the plate than they are.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Pitching: The red Sox pitching staff has generally been better on the road this season. Yes, they have allowed more home runs in fewer games on the road, but around that they have performed better. On the road, they own a 4.34 ERA and a .249 batting average against. This is important because the Red Sox need to keep picking up wins away from home. They are also likely to be playing playoff series as the road team, and given their home form they will need to pinch a few games on the road if they want to make a deep playoff run.

Hitting: Andrew Benintendi has received a lot of flack this season for his performance. However, what he does extremely well is hit the Yankees. In his career he hits .317 with a .523 slugging percentage against them. He has been especially good these past two seasons, hitting over .300 both years. This season, in 36 PA he is hitting .396 with two home runs and five extra-base hits. In big spots this season the Red Sox will be hoping that Benintendi can continue that form.

EXPECTATIONS

It is too early to completely write off the Red Sox shot at the division, but after this most recent series, it is hanging by a thread. For the last month or so they have Yo-Yo’d around this 8-10 game mark behind the Yankees. It is realistic to say that the Wildcard is their most likely route to the playoffs. However, that does not mean they should not target the division.

This will be a tough series, but then we were saying this last week at this time. The Red Sox proved last week that they can go toe-to-toe with this Yankees team. Even if they do not ultimately win the division, taking these games off the Yankees now could reap psychological benefits down the road. This series may ultimately end up not mattering for the division, but for the wildcard, the pride of the Red Sox and potentially putting fear into this Yankees team, it matters a lot.

Projecting the Opening Day Roster

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Based off of the quiet offseason Boston has had, many fans may think the transactions may be far from done. It is still possible that Dombrowski goes and resigns Craig Kimbrel, and it’s also possible he cooks up a trade to bring in a reliever. That aside, the roster is all but set. A couple guys are going to be fighting for jobs in March and that will be very interesting to watch. Without further ado, this is the best projection I have for what the 25 man roster might look like on April 9th vs. Toronto.

Catchers (2)

Christian Vazquez, Blake Swihart (starter in bold):

This is a three horse race for two jobs. Somehow Boston went all of 2018 with three catchers on their roster and it never really hurt them. They were never down a utility bat or a pitcher in the bullpen due to having three catchers, so they got away with it. 2019 won’t be the same case. Dombrowski has already said they want to make a move, with any of the three catchers available.

Sandy Leon is likely going to be the odd man out. If the Red Sox don’t find a suitor for him on the trade market, he’ll likely see himself cut before opening day. Personally, I would keep Leon to backup Vazquez (who’s bound to bounce back) and use Swihart as trade bait, but hey that’s just me.

Infielders (7)

Mitch Moreland, Steve Pearce, Dustin Pedroia, Brock Holt, Eduardo Nunez, Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers:

This situation isn’t as cloudy as the one behind the dish. The left side of the infield is locked in. Raffy will look to make strides at third while Xander head into a contract year at short. Dustin Pedroia will start at second, barring any setbacks with his knee. If he isn’t good to go for opening day I would give Brock the nod over Nunez at second. Then we turn to first base where there isn’t one starter, as it’s more of a platoon situation. Mitch Moreland is my projected opening day starter, since Marcus Stroman is likely to start for Toronto and he’s a righty. Steve Pearce is more than capable to hit against righties, but will likely start the season facing mostly left-handed opponents.

Outfielders (3)

Andrew Benintendi, Jackie Bradley Jr., Mookie Betts:

With J.D. essentially serving as the DH/fourth outfielder, the Red Sox will only carry three natural outfielders on their roster. This was the case in 2018, and worked better than anyone could have imagined. J.D. was able to fill in the outfield at various times to give some of these guys a day off here and there, and will look to do the same in 2019.

The key part for this outfield this season is how they all blossom. Can Mookie Betts repeat his MVP caliber season? Can JBJ find a consistent bat and carry over his success from October? Can Andrew Benintendi take the next step towards being an MVP candidate-type player?

Designated Hitter (1)

J.D. Martinez:

Unfortunately if you came here hoping to see Allen Craig, or Rusney Castillo, you are going to be highly disappointed. The only man for this job is Julio Daniel. Martinez had an MVP level season in 2018, and now has a chance to repeat it in 2019 and possibly opt out after this season. This will be a huge season on many fronts for future salaries for these Red Sox players and for the front office. Seeing if J.D. regresses or not is going to be a huge factor to whether he opts in or opts out following 2019. However, J.D. is the man, has a relentless approach, and is always trying to get better. I think he’s due for more of the same in 2018.

Rotation (5)

Chris Sale, David Price, Nathan Eovaldi, Rick Porcello, Eduardo Rodriguez:

The rotation for Boston is five deep. They are loaded and nobody seems to talk about it. Everyone wants to talk about Severino/Paxton/Tanaka in New York or Corbin/Scherzer/Strasburg in Washington. Both sets of trios are certainly worthy of being the best in baseball. As far as the entire rotation goes, Boston might take the cake. Sale, Price and Eovaldi are all legit studs at this point. Price and Eovaldi will likely carry over to 2019 the huge postseasons they had. You know exactly what you’re going to get from Rick Porcello, 190 innings and an ERA around 4. The biggest wild card is Eduardo Rodriguez. If he can finally stay healthy and put together a full season, he could really breakout as an All-Star caliber pitcher in this league.

Rodriguez

Bullpen (7)

Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier, Brandon Workman, Heath Hembree, Steven Wright, Hector Velazquez, Brian Johnson:

This is the only segment of this article that can still drastically change. Not only are their outside factors still affecting it (Kimbrel, trade, etc.) but there also internal competitions. At least two pitchers who pitched a significant portion of innings in 2018 for Boston could be sent packing after Spring Training, possibly more if another external option joins the club.

Matt Barnes is a lock, and in this scenario, would be my choice for the closer. I’m still hopeful on Kimbrel coming back on a reasonable deal, but for now, Barnes in the ninth. The other locks, Brasier, Hembree, Wright and Johnson. Brasier is the Red Sox second best reliever as of right now. Hembree and Wright both showed their value at times last season, and have earned spots in the bullpen in 2019 barring injury. Brian Johnson is the lefty out in the pen, so I also believe he’s a lock to make this team.

Then we turn to a few names competing for two spots. Workman and Velazquez have the spots in my books, but Tyler Thornburg, Bobby Poyner, and Colten Brewer will also compete for those two jobs. A couple other names I’d keep on eye on, depending on their spring performance, Carson Smith, Marcus Walden, William Cuevas and the kid, Durbin Feltman.

If Craig Kimbrel were to sign, or another reliever was brought in, I believe Workman is the pitcher who gets pumped from this 25 man roster. A lot of things could change on this list, but for the most part this is what the roster is going to look like going into 2019. Looks fairly similar to a roster that didn’t do half bad in 2018.

Which Sox Players are Going to Win Awards?

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The biggest trophy of them all was already captured by the 2018 Red Sox. However, there is still some hardware yet to be determined for members of our World Series team. From the major awards like MVP and Cy Young, to the position based awards like the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger, Boston has candidates. They have guys that should be locks to win awards, and they also have dark horses that could end up taking home some of these awards too. For a team that won 108 games, they were bound to have some of the best players in the league. We take a look at who should win each award that has a Sox player in contention.

Gold Glove Award

The Red Sox have players nominated for Gold Gloves at five different positions. Mitch Moreland was solid at first, but I don’t believe he’s going to beat out either Justin Smoak or Matt Olson, who were both superior. Second base is a close race between all three horses, and I actually believe our guy gets it. Ian Kinsler was tied for the American League lead amongst second baseman for defensive runs saved (DRS). He’s also the only one of himself, Jed Lowrie and Rougned Odor to have won an award, which is most likely going to help swing things in his favour.

I believe Andrew Benintendi has a good shot to win in left field, but knocking off Alex Gordon is no easy task. Gordon again was one of the best defenders in baseball, and should pick up another Gold Glove. As much as it feels like Jackie Bradley Jr. may deserve this, or even Mike Trout, it’s going to Adam Engel. He was so impressive with both the eye test and by the metrics, and should win the award. Finally, is Mookie Betts in right field. Mookie Betts is going to win the Gold Glove in right field, take it to the bank, it’s Mookie Betts.

Silver Slugger Award

Finalists have yet to be named for any of the positions, but the Red Sox have some very strong candidates. Let’s start with those who are mortal locks to take home this trophy. J.D. Martinez was one of the best hitters in the entire sport, and trailed only Khris Davis‘ in home runs. Martinez and Davis will go head to head for this award, but J.D. was the better all around hitter by far. That should be enough to take the award home for him.

Mookie Betts has a pretty good chance at taking home an even bigger prize. The Silver Slugger should join the Gold Glove in comfortably being his. Unfortunately for Xander Bogaerts, Francisco Lindor is alive and well in the American League as a shortstop. If it weren’t for Lindor, Xander would likely be snagging another Silver Slugger. He should finish right behind Lindor, as Bogaerts put out arguably the best season of his career.

Cy Young Award

The Red Sox do have a solid candidate for this award as well, Chris Sale. However, even the most biased Red Sox fan could tell you that Sale isn’t going to win this award. Nor does he probably deserve to. Not to diminish his season, as it was one of the best of his already dominant career. He went 12-4 with a 2.11 ERA, but shoulder fatigue caused him to miss time down the strecth. The lack of innings will obviously hurt Sale, who is still in search of his first Cy Young. With the seasons that Blake Snell and Justin Verlander posted, it’s going to be tough for this to be Sale’s year of finally overcoming this specific milestone.

MVP

Last, but certainly not least, is the Most Valuable Player. The Red Sox have both a candidate, and a favorite for this award. J.D. Martinez is absolutely a candidate, and has a good chance to finish in the top five. However, as a designated hitter, he’s highly unlikely to win. His offensive numbers were outstanding, but not enough to put him above the likes of Trout, Jose Ramirez or his own teammate. Mookie Betts was oh so close to capturing this award a couple years ago, when Mike Trout snatched it from his hands. This year however, this year is different. Betts was better than Trout in almost every category. Plus, he propelled his team to the best record in the entire league. This award is Mookie’s to lose, and there is no chance that he loses.

Three Keys to Winning the World Series

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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 Bullpen is Going to be Just Fine

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A lot has been made recently of the apparent “bullpen issues” for the first place Boston Red Sox. I’m here to calm everyone’s worries and remind you that this team is on a historic pace for a reason. Yeah, maybe the bullpen has faltered at times. Yeah, there definitely are some pitchers that you don’t want to see come running to the mound in October. However, with all that said, this bullpen has many valuable members. Many of whom have played a significant role in the double-digit division lead.

The Back End

Let’s start with the anchor at the back, Craig Kimbrel. While it may not be his most dominant season, he is still an elite closer. That is a huge asset to have in the bullpen come postseason time. He’s one of the most overpowering relievers in the league, and his strikeout numbers prove that. He’s easily handled all of his saves in September and has posted a 1.29 ERA over his last 7 appearances. The strength of this team has been the offense, and with the team being up a significant amount of runs, Kimbrel has been able to stay nice and rested. He’ll be fresh in the playoffs.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Set Up

To the eighth inning we head, and Alex Cora has multiple studs out in the bullpen that can bridge the game to Kimbrel. A healthy Matt Barnes is crucial, and we should get that at least by the playoffs. People can say what they want about Barnes and his control, but it’s no coincidence that he’s sixth out of all relievers in baseball with over FOURTEEN strikeouts per nine. When Matt Barnes is 100%, he’s got 100% of my trust. If he isn’t quite healthy yet then turn to Ryan Brasier. He’s been more than the Sox could’ve dreamed of when they called him up in July. He revitalized his career in Japan, now he’s pumping gas out of the Boston bullpen with a 1.80 ERA. Brasier is going to be key in the postseason, no matter what his role is.

(Keith Allison/Flickr)

The Middle of the Bullpen

A few other guys who are going to work their way into the middle of the game for the Sox are also going to play a crucial role. Joe Kelly has looked a little shaky at times, but that dude has the right mentality to be pitching in the postseason in front of 40,000 screaming Yankees fans in NYC. Knuckleballers tend to frighten fans at times, but Steven Wright has been criminally underrated this year. If that knuckleball can dance in the playoffs like it has been all year, we might have the second coming of Tim Wakefield.

Brandon Workman has been solid this season, and he’s also done the whole World Series thing before. I would feel confident if he were to trot out for the 7th inning in a tight ballgame. The last name I’m going to toss out there is a huge x-factor, seeing as he might be the only lefty in the pen, and that is Bobby Poyner. Don’t sleep on Poyner playing a large role in specific matchup situations for Cora. However, when he is on, he has as good of stuff as anyone out in that pen.

(Keith Allison/Flickr)

Feel reassured yet? You should! This bullpen only gets flak because it’s the only glaring “weakness” on a team with 100+ wins. They have one of the best closers on the planet mixed with multiple, reliable options to get from the starters to the closer. Everybody just relax and breathe, this bullpen is solid and this team is set for a deep run.

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Can Chris Sale Become the Legend Pedro Martinez Was in Boston?

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Pedro Martinez built an amazing legacy in Boston. He was just coming off of a surreal 1997 season for the Expos when Boston traded for him. He posted a 1.90 ERA in 241.1 innings with 305 strikeouts. Pedro would only continue that sheer dominance in a Red Sox uniform. He would follow up that amazing 97 season with a 2.89 ERA along with 251 strikeouts in 233.1 innings. His ERA would dip the next year to 2.07. It fell more the year after to 1.74 to accompany his 313 strikeouts, both career highs.

Did you think that’s it? He followed that up with a 2.39 in an injury-plagued 2001 season, a 2.26 in 2002, and a 2.22 in 2003. It feels insane even typing all of this. Pedro would then have his worst season in Boston, a 3.90 ERA. It was the year he won the World Series, and unfortunately his last year in Boston. 

Boston adored Pedro during his seven-year tenure. He absolutely loved playing here along with the fans who couldn’t get enough of him. This man was the Luke Skywalker of Massachusetts. He was our hero. It got to the point where his pitching was almost unfair. Every day Pedro pitched was like a holiday. The offense knew they had the clear advantage. Pedro will never forget Boston, and the fans will never forget him. He is a Red Sox player for life. He is even immortalized in the Hall of Fame with a Boston hat.

When anyone thinks of Pedro Martinez, they think of him punching out all the big jacked juicers during the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway like it was nothing. They think of him throwing six no-hit innings against Cleveland in Game 5 of the 1999 ALDS. They think of the letter K. Whether it was a backwards one or a forwards one, you sure saw that letter a whole lot whenever that man was on the mound. Pedro built a legacy that will forever live on in Boston.

A New Sheriff in Town

Now let’s go to present day. There’s a new ace in Boston now; a 6’6″ lefty who goes by the name of Chris Sale. He’s undoubtedly Boston’s new ace. After having a great first year in Boston in 2017, his 2018 season will just blow you away. In 23 starts (146 innings) he owns a 1.97 ERA along with 212 punch-outs. He averages 97 mph on his heater, touching 100 at times. His slider will make you sick. The look on his face alone will scare you. This man is the definition of dominance. He will face any lineup, anywhere, at anytime. He doesn’t care.

One thing that is pretty important when you’re on the Red Sox is how you do against the Yankees. Is Chris Sale scared of the Yankees, you ask? Let me answer with this statement; Sale has a career 1.86 ERA at Yankee Stadium. Chris Sale doesn’t care that the Yankees have a good lineup. This guy eats fear for breakfast. He isn’t afraid of anybody. 

Can Chris Sale Draw Close to Pedro One Day?

Here comes a question that’s been tossed around for a while: can Chris Sale build the same legacy Pedro Martinez did with the Red Sox? He sure can. Now obviously he hasn’t done it yet. As the years pass and we see even more of him we’ll see how many years he can keep this type of success up. In my mind, he doesn’t need to win a ring to become one of the greatest pitchers ever to pitch for Boston. Pedro never needed one for the same reason. But helping this beloved team win a ring makes it all the better. 

Let’s compare how these two match up.

These are Chris Sale’s numbers through his first 55 games with the Red Sox: 

360.1 IP – 2.52 ERA – 0.92 WHIP

76 BB – 527 K – 13.2 K/9

These are Pedro’s numbers through the same amount of games: 

387.0 IP – 2.74 ERA – 1.06 WHIP

95 BB – 461 K – 10.7 K/9

It’s pretty incredible how much these two mirror each other. 

Watching Sale pitch every fifth day spoils us as Red Sox fans. It reminds us of the absolutely dominance from that legendary ace years ago. Can Chris Sale become the legend that Pedro was in Boston? It’s up in the air. But from what we’ve seen so far, it’s looking more likely every day that man steps on that mound.

Dombrowski

Dave Dombrowski Has Done a Great Job

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On August 18th, 2015 Dave Dombrowski was announced as President of Baseball Operations for the Red Sox. The Red Sox had a 52-66 record, dead last in the AL East. Ever since then, they won two straight division titles and are on pace for a record-breaking season. However, Dombrowski gets a lot of hate, and here is why he does not deserve it.

The Farm System

The biggest gripe with Dombrowski is that he has sold off to many assets, depleting the farm system. When he took over the Red Sox had one of the best farm systems in baseball, now they have one of the worst. Dombrowski has made a lot of trades, and also held on to some valuable players. In 2015, the Red Sox top prospects were Yoan Moncada, Rafael Devers, Brian Johnson, Andrew Benintendi and Michael Kopech. Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech were traded for Chris Sale, and Devers, Johnson, and Benintendi are on the big league club right now. He also has signed David Price and J.D. Martinez and traded for Craig Kimbrel.

How It Has Turned Out

The Chris Sale trade has turned out very well for the Red Sox. He has started both all-star games as a Red Sox, was a runner-up for Cy young in 2017 and favorite to win it this year. Moncada has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .231 with twelve home runs this year. Kopech has not been in the big leagues yet, and he has a 4.29 ERA this year in Triple-A Charlotte. Andrew Benintendi was called up in August of 2016 and has not disappointed since.

He is hitting .303 this year, has 14 home runs and 59 RBI’s, and a great left fielder defensively. Dombrowski could have traded him at multiple different points, but he was smart enough not to and it has worked out. Rafael Devers was called up in the middle of last year, started off hot, and has been decent this year. He has fourteen home runs but is hitting .239 and struggles in defensively. He is only 21 years old and Dombrowski was smart not to trade him given his upside.

Brian Johnson has been an important role player for the Red Sox this year. He can come out the bullpen and do well in a spot start. The David Price signing has not worked as many hoped. Has he lived up to his contract? No. But is he a proven great pitcher capable of pitching in big games? Yes. The Craig Kimbrel trade has been a steal. Manuel Margot has been decent as a Padre, but Kimbrel has been the best or one of the best closers in the MLB since the trade. JD Martinez has been a monster in his first season, hitting 29 home runs and being the power hitter they lacked in 2017.

The Bottom Line for Dombrowski

Dave Dombrowksi has not been perfect as President of baseball operations, but he has done a very good job. He has depleted the farm system, but the trades he made, or trades he chose not to make have worked out for the most part. Could you imagine a team with no Sale, Price, Kimbrel, or some of the key young pieces traded? Well, if Dave Dombrowski was not hired, that may be where the team would be at.

Five Red Sox Named To All-Star Roster

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Boston Will Have Five of its Players Heading to D.C.

On Sunday night, the MLB revealed the AL and NL rosters for the All-Star Game. The Red Sox tied with the Indians and Astros for most players on the AL roster. The game takes place on Tuesday, July 17th, at the home ballpark of the Washington Nationals.

The All Stars

This year’s crew is headlined by Mookie Betts and JD Martinez, who will both be starting in the game. Betts, making his third appearance in the Midsummer Classic, was an obvious lock for a starting spot. He currently is leading the entire MLB in batting average (.342). He’s also third in the AL in WAR (5.4). Martinez was another clear-cut choice as he prepares to make his second appearance. He leads both leagues in both homers (27) and RBIs (74).

The remaining Red Sox who made the team are Mitch Moreland, Chris Sale, and Craig Kimbrel. Moreland will be making his first appearance in the All-Star game this year. He’s having a great year for the Sox and made the team as a reserve at first base. Sale and Kimbrel will both represent the American League pitching staff. Sale will make his seventh appearance, having thus far pitched his way to the fourth-best ERA (2.36) and second-highest amount of strikeouts (176) in the AL. Kimbrel, also playing in the game for the seventh time, is second in the majors with 27 saves.

AL All-Star Final Vote-Vote for Benintendi!

This year, there is one remaining roster spot for fans to vote in one last player. For the AL, the candidates are Andrelton Simmons, Giancarlo Stanton, Jean Segura, Eddie Rosario, and Boston’s own Andrew Benintendi. Make sure you vote Benny into the All-Star Game here! Voting ends July 11th at 4:00 p.m. ET. Help the Sox get a sixth All Star!

The Sox are cruising through a great season, and the All-Star selections are just gravy. Though all fans know it isn’t the ultimate goal, it is some great recognition for the chosen players. Congratulations to all of Boston’s players who will no doubt represent the team well in DC!

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Pomeranz, Sale, and the Gang

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The 2018 season is underway and we have some players to praise, some to keep a watchful eye on, and some to still anticipate their spring debuts. Also, Drew Pomeranz has his injury diagnosed via MRI, and discussions about Chris Sale’s refurbished workout program to induce longevity.

The first ten games of the 2018 spring training had some expected and unexpected results for the Red Sox. MVPs of spring training so far include Blake Swihart (21 AB, .429/.500/.810, 3 SO and 8 RBIs), Rusney Castillo who continues to put up attractive numbers from Pawtucket and Caguas (18 AB, .333/.400/.556, 3 SO and 4 RBIs) and Marcus Walden (5.0 IP, .143 against, 0.8 WHIP and 0.00 ERA). Players who haven’t been impressing as of yet include Mookie Betts (14 AB, .000, 5 SO, .176 OBP), Hector Velazquez (4.1 IP, 6.23 ERA, 2 SO, .316 against) and Deven Marrero (17 AB, .176, 8 SO, .263 OBP).

Mookie Betts is starting to gain my attention, since he is known to rarely strikeout (11.5 K% since 2015). He is on pace to have the highest amount of strikeouts of his Spring Training career. This could be an indication of offensive players taking some time to warm up. It will be extremely shocking to see his Spring Training woes continue into the regular season. Also, Blake Swihart is really soaking in the spotlight and making Alex Cora’s job a whole lot harder by seeming to be his best choice at opening day catcher. His hitting has been outstanding as well as his plate discipline. He can make a serious case to be one of the two catchers when the regular season arrives.

Drew Pomeranz Update

Pomeranz left his first Spring Training start against the Cardinals on Friday, March 2nd, due to forearm tightness. He received an MRI on Saturday afternoon and was diagnosed with a mild flexor strain of the forearm. Alex Cora told the press that there is no structural damage. However, Pomeranz will be shut down and re-evaluated on Tuesday. This makes the gap in the rotation much wider, as there are now two spots that need to be questioned. As I mentioned before, the Red Sox shouldn’t be looking at an outside source for a starting pitcher. That scenario may change now, depending on how this Pomeranz injury pans out.

What to Do If Things Get Serious

Not to be redundant, but the best free agent options for starting pitcher remain: Jake Arrieta, Alex Cobb and Lance Lynn. At this point, players who don’t have a job yet should be willing to take a one year deal and then try again next season.

The Red Sox seem to be in a position to offer at least Lynn or Cobb a one year contract. Mind you, there are two holes in the regular season rotation. That’s banking on the hope that Price, Sale and Porcello will be healthy all year long. On top of all this, offering a one year contract to a starting pitcher presumably won’t put the ball club into the next luxury tax tier. If one more pitcher goes down, this rotation could fall apart quickly. Dave Dombrowski will likely strike while the iron is hot and there are still some options available.

Meanwhile, in Chris Sale Land

For those who don’t know, Chris Sale has been working with Alex Cora and pitching coach Dana LeVangie in regards to developing a workout regimen that won’t tire the 2017 Cy Young runner up too early. Longevity is Sale’s main goal this season and as it should be. He is known to be a stellar first half pitcher with down to earth numbers in the second half.

“We’ve all got together and talked about coming up with a formula for longevity and building up. I think last year, I came into spring training kind of too amped up, too ready to go and I think we’re kind of looking for more of a gradual buildup.” – Chris Sale

Sale was involved in a variation of a simulated game at a back field behind JetBlue Park, in which he threw 52 pitches. Each inning had a mandated amount of pitches. He pitched 15 for the first, then 12, 12 and 13 for the subsequent innings. Of his 52 pitches, 35 were strikes and he induced five strikeouts (four of which were swinging). This could be the answer to Sale’s season long endurance issue. Everyone is itching to find out how this regimen pans out.

Find me on Twitter @ELJGON

Featured Photo Credit: Official Red Sox MLB Page.

Chris Sale: Boston’s MIA Ace

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It’s time for Chris Sale to be Chris Sale

We should stop talking about Chris Sale (15-7, 2.85 ERA this season) as the likely 2017 Cy Young award winner.   Let’s start talking about his awful games against good teams for the last two months. And why Cleveland’s Cory Kluber (14-4, 2.56 ERA) will win the AL Cy Young award.

Who cares? After dropping three of four against the second place and perennial pain-in-our asses Yankees, the struggling Red Sox need their ace to be an ace once again. Since July turned to August, he’s been largely missing in action. Save his great outing against a weak Tampa team on August 8th, in which we went eight scoreless innings and struck out 13, and last week’s dominance against the hapless Jays, he has been pretty pedestrian since July.

Since the July 1st, the Sox are seven wins and five losses when Sale starts. In those 12 games, Sale has produced five wins, four losses and three no–ecisions, 75.3 IPs, 25 ERs, 115 Ks, and given up nine HRs. That’s fine for a number-three starter, but not for an ace.

Against the worst, he’s the best

Since the end of June, most of his good numbers have come against the dregs of the league – Toronto, Tampa, and a Seattle team that’s 14.5 games out of the AL West. Against likely playoffs teams in this window, four starts against NYY and two against CLE, he’s been very unimpressive: zero wins, three losses, three no decisions. Zero wins. Zero. His average line against the teams we need to worry about? Fewer than six innings and more than three and a half earned runs per start.

Sale remains our best pitcher.   But he isn’t the runaway Cy Young award winner he looked like in July. Boston’s once substantial lead in the East has been cut to 3.5 games.   This would certainly be in jeopardy if they didn’t have a soft schedule for the rest of the season. With six more games against Toronto and Tampa, and three against a terrible Cincinnati team, the Red Sox should cruise to the playoffs.

Step up or step out

To have any legitimate shot at a deep post season run, the Red Sox need to win the division. With the introduction of the second wild card and the one-game play-in between wild card teams five years ago, winning the division has taken on renewed importance. This year, more than ever for the Sox, it is paramount. It’s not that Boston can’t beat New York or anyone else in a single game in October.  Despite his recent struggles I’ll still take my chances with Sale on the mound.

But that’s the problem.  The Sox would have to go with Sale in the play-in game and then enter the divisional round with a rotation of Pomeranz, Porcello.   Then either Fister, Price or E-Rod take the mound before bringing Sale in to pitch a potential game 4. Win the division and the Sox have a significantly better rotation lined up – including getting Sale twice in a long series. Lose the division, waste Sale in a one-or-done match-up, and the future could very well come down to how well Rick Porcello, David Price, or Doug Fister pitch in an elimination game. That’s terrifying to think about.

But, if Sale doesn’t return to form and provide quality starts against good teams the rest of the year, we won’t have to worry about it.