April 17, 2018

Decimated Division Foes Dismissed



Homestand Highlights

 Record (8-1)                   Season (13-2)  GB 00.0            Series Play (5-0-0)
  • This unprecedented start to the 2018 campaign was accentuated with a monumental 6 run comeback against Tampa and a spirited bench-clearing brawl against their bitter rivals that wound the clock back to days of yore. The Sawx served notice that the stain of the "It's not me. It's them." days have been rinsed clean as Joe Kelly issued payback to Yankees' Tyler Austin for a spikes up slide into Brock Holt in a 10-7 loss. This defeat halted the team's 9 game win streak, but it would be the only loss the Red Sox would suffer in their triumphant return home. The Boston offense pounded the opposition to the tune of 7.5 runs a game in the abbreviated 9 game stay at Fenway. The annual Patriot's Day contest against Baltimore was postponed due to inclement weather, so the club now takes their winning ways on the road for some sunshine on the west coast before a stop in Toronto on the way back home. To check out thoughts and stats on the first road trip, click here .
  • My mantra has always been "pitching, defense and 2 out RBI will win you a lot of ball games". Boston owns the best record in baseball and presently sits in second place in the majors with 37 2-out RBI with RISP. The team in front of them, the Los Angeles Angels, will be their first opponents on their ninth game road trip, and they have notched 41 clutch ribeyes. No coincidence that they have the second-best winning percentage in the American League. Boston also plays second fiddle to the Angels in the AL in total runs scored. Los Angeles has plated 103 runs to the Red Sox total of 89 which now puts them in a tie with the Yankees. 
  • On the homestand, the offensive juggernaut was spearheaded by Mookie Betts. Mookie kept his foot on the gas scoring 13 runs, and he led the team in extra base hits with 7. One of Mookie's extra baggers was a grand slam, and a total of three were hit at Fenway. Xander Bogaerts and JD Martinez also provided super flies. The Red Sox never hit a grand slam in 2017, but it only took 8 games into the 2018 season for the team to get off the schneid as Bogaerts clubbed his in the second game of the Tampa series. Martinez is now becoming a force after a slow start as he and the red-hot Hanley Ramirez were co-leaders with 11 RBI. Home field was definitely an advantage for Hanley as his homestand ribbies vaulted him to third overall in the AL with 15 RBI. Mitch Moreland got some playing time and made the most of it stroking .444 with 4 of his 8 hits going for 2 bases living up to his monicker "Mitchy Two-Bags". A freak injury to Xander Bogaerts' ankle in the Tampa series opened the door for Tzu-Wei Lin's return, and he didn't let the grass grow under his feet batting .500 with 2 doubles. And don't look now but Andrew Benintendi is starting to find his stroke racking up 8 RBI on home soil. Benny has been practicing patience at the plate, and his 7 walks on the homestand placed him into a tie for second place in the AL with 12.
  • Rafael Devers took a dip as he went hitless in the Yankees' series, but bounced back with 4 hits in 13 trips against the Orioles. Boston catching wasn't inspiring at the plate. In a small sample size, Blake Swihart went 2-5, and I'd like to see what he could do with a little more playing time. With the team playing at a record pace as of late, the insertion of Swihart into the lineup is an inopportune proposition. Vazquez is the number one guy, without question, but decisions will have to be made on what to do with Boston's newest utility option. I'm still not particularly impressed with Vazquez's defense game yet as he has set the bar high with his play in the past, but it's only early.
  • The starting pitching continues to be tremendous. The Red Sox lead the majors in ERA with a stingy 2.06 and their staff owns a 9-1 record. The rotation's 9 wins put them in a tie for most wins by a starting staff in the American League with the Angels. Rick Porcello was the workhorse with 2 wins on the homestand logging 14.1 innings. He is now 3-0 with only 1 BB in 19.2 IP (BB% 1.3 - tied for tops in AL). He hasn't allowed a home run yet and his GB% of 51.8 is good for 5th in the AL with min 3 GS (15 IP). What's even more impressive is that Chris Sale only has one decision in 4 starts which was a win in a 14-1 smackdown in the New York series opener.  I have to say Hector Velazquez has been a pleasant surprise. Who da thunk Hector would have won both of his starts with a 2.53 ERA?  This fabulous contribution by the starters has effectively masked a wonky bullpen which sits 11th overall in the AL with a 4.19 ERA. Being tied for fourth in walks (27) certainly hasn't helped, but one guy not affected by this malaise is Craig Kimbrel. He has picked up where he left off in 2017 and registering 3 saves on the homestand to push his season total to 5. Kimbrel has fired 7 spotless innings to his credit with 10 punchouts.
Homestand by the Numbers
Name G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS BA
▼		 OBP SLG OPS
Tzu-Wei Lin514122620012200.500.571.6671.238
Mitch Moreland520184840022300.444.500.6671.167
Xander Bogaerts312102420172200.400.500.9001.400
Blake Swihart4551210010100.400.400.6001.000
Mookie Betts83730131160196510.367.459.6671.126
Hanley Ramirez83328710102113610.357.424.6071.031
Andrew Benintendi8403371142087410.333.450.5761.026
Eduardo Nunez729266820133200.308.379.500.879
J.D. Martinez940366112131121200.306.325.667.992
Jackie Bradley834307720012510.233.324.300.624
Brock Holt721194410012300.211.286.263.549
Rafael Devers9413447201561000.206.317.353.670
Christian Vazquez626243410011600.167.200.208.408
Sandy Leon413132200010100.154.154.154.308
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/16/2018.
Name G GS
▼		 W L SV IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA GB/FB BAbip SO9
Chris Sale22111.0102221611.6444%.34613.1
Rick Porcello22214.183301301.8855%.2118.2
Eduardo Rodriguez2219.2104441513.7238%.40914.0
David Price2218.06445614.5039%.2276.8
Hector Velazquez3118.09442614.5042%.3206.8
Joe Kelly403.11000200.0075%.1255.4
Craig Kimbrel4034.01002600.0043%.14313.5
Bobby Poyner3014.16111502.0845%.50010.4
Brian Johnson304.03222604.5022%.33313.5
Marcus Walden3015.25432704.7660%.35711.1
Matt Barnes303.02222406.0043%.28612.0
Carson Smith3013.02224316.0075%.1439.0
Heath Hembree4015.27550617.9450%.3539.5
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/16/2018.




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