The Boston Red Sox are making a run in the American League and are positioned to be the biggest threat to the Astros in the AL, depending on how the Indians can progress the rest of the year. Seattle, on the other hand, is a team trying to earn its way back into the playoff picture. Each time they get within striking distance, they hit a roadblock. The Sox could be one of those roadblocks in this series.
This series will be contested from Monday, July 24, 2017 through Wednesday, July 26, 2017 at Safeco Field in Seattle.
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Pitching Matchups
The Red Sox will send a trio of lefties in the series, starting with Eduardo Rodriguez. E-Rod will matchup opposite James Paxton, another up-and-coming young left-hander.
Paxton was one of baseball’s biggest stories in April before injuries once again took away several starts. The young southpaw had some struggles upon his return to action, but has righted the ship in July, going 4-0 with a 2.05 ERA in four starts. He’s also struck out 28 in 26.1 innings of work.
The 28-year old has certainly assumed the mantel as the team ace, though Felix Hernandez still gives him a run for his money and will pitch on Tuesday.
Back to Paxton, he’s 9-3 with a 3.05 ERA in 16 starts on the year and right now is one of the game’s better lefties.
Of course, Rodriguez has had a nice season in his own right. E-Rod is several years younger than the oft-injured Paxton. Nevertheless, he’s starting to live up to the promise, at least when he’s on the mound.
Like Paxton, E-Rod has struggled through some injuries. In 12 games—11 starts—he’s 4-2 with a 3.66 ERA. Those numbers are strong, but he labored through his first start since June 1. He ultimately kept the Sox in the game, but had a tough time early before settling down. When the dust settled, he allowed three runs and walked four in 5.1 innings.
As of May 26, Rodriguez had a 2.77 ERA, but struggled against Baltimore before going on the DL and then struggled in his return.
When the series rolls on, the Sox will look to Drew Pomeranz on Tuesday and then Chris Sale gets the ball on Wednesday.
Tuesday’s matchup between Pomeranz and Hernandez is an interesting one. King Felix appears to be in decline, but he’s figuring out how to pitch with lesser stuff. He’s allowing just 11 hits and two runs over his last three starts, spanning 18 innings. He’s also struck out 22 in those games.
Hernandez has done well against some robust Sox lineups over the years, too, pitching to an 8-4 record and 3.90 ERA against Boston in 18 starts.
As for Pomeranz, the lefty continues to roll. He was a great producer in San Diego prior to his trade to Boston last year, but he’s been even better over his last 11 starts. In that span, he’s 7-1 with a 2.64 ERA. The stuff has never been the issue for Pomeranz. Health has been his problem. Late last season fatigue set in due to an unprecedented number of innings. He was slow out of the gate in 2017, but he’s pitching well right now. We should see a pitcher’s duel in the middle game of this series.
The final game of the series will have some great pitching, too; at least from the Boston side. Sale matches up against a rookie in Andrew Moore. Moore makes his sixth start in this one and has been hit around a bit in his first foray into the big leagues, allowing nine homers already.
It doesn’t help the righty is tasked with keeping his team in the game opposite Sale. A run or two could be enough for him. Sale has been filthy time in and time out. He’s already struck out 200 batters and we’re not even though July.
The third lefty in this series is a likely frontrunner for the Cy Young Award, going 12-4 with a 2.48 ERA and 0.892 WHIP. He leads the league in innings pitched and has a 1.97 FIP and 7.69 strikeout to walk ratio, both league leading figures as well.
Who's Hot?
Since the All-Star break, Hanley Ramirez’s power has been on display. He’s hit three homers in 10 games which could help solidify the heart of the Boston order. The Red Sox’s offense is doing well right now, but as a unit they’re loaded with good all-around players, but lack the thump in the heart of the order that David Ortiz always provided.
Dustin Pedroia has been on fire in the last 10 games, too. He’s batting .366 with a .996 OPS. He’s second on the team with two homers and has added 11 RBIs as he’s been the definition of clutch.
In four appearances since the break, Matt Barnes has thrown 6.2 innings, allowing just a single run on three hits while striking out six and walking just one.
For the Mariners, the hottest hitter since the break has been Kyle Seager. He was having a down first half, but is 12-for-38 with three homers in the last 10 games. With Seager swinging a hot bat, the trio of Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz and Seager is again one of the best trios in the game.
Mike Zunino and Ben Gamel have kept their hot bats going into the second half.
Emilio Pagan has been very helpful in a long relief role in the last week and a half, pitching 10.1 innings and allowing just a single run.
Who's Not?
While Boston is a strong team that’s certainly come together over the last couple months, there are a few players who’ve come out of the break slow.
Third base remains a black hole. The return of Brock Holt was supposed to help, and may, but he’s still rusty. He’s struck out eight time and while his 7-for-28 is great compared to Deven Marrero’s numbers, the position is still a weakness. Holt is best served a as a super utility player. It looked like the Sox were going to make the plunge for Todd Frazier, but the Yankees swooped in and got him. They’re now looking elsewhere for answers.
Some other key player struggling for Boston since the break include: Jackie Bradley Jr., Mitch Moreland and Andrew Benintendi. Bradley is 8-for-46 with 18 strikeouts. Moreland is 4-for-33 with no extra base hits. And, Benintendi is 7-for-39 with only one extra base hit; a double.
For Seattle Jarrod Dyson is just 1-for-28, unable to provide any spark with his legs given his inability to get on base. The team’s other speedster, Jean Segura, is also not setting the table as well as hoped since the break.
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