|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 4, 2021 2:37:53 GMT -5
AL Wild Card FAQ: Lineups, injuries, more 2:58 AM ADT Bryan Hoch
Bryan Hoch @bryanhoch Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
It is arguably the greatest rivalry in professional sports, the Red Sox and the Yankees, boiled down to a nine-inning fight for survival. One team will advance to face the Rays in the American League Division Series, and the other will go home.
What could be better than that? This year's American League Wild Card Game promises to be one for the ages, played on the storied turf at Boston's Fenway Park on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN.
"That's going to be a fun game right there," said the Yankees' Aaron Judge. "It's going to be action-packed. You know they're going to bring their 'A' game. We're going to bring our 'A’ game. It's just going to go down as another great game in this big rivalry we have.”
Forty three years ago, the Red Sox hosted the Yankees in a one-game playoff that is still chronicled and dissected to this day, best remembered for Bucky Dent’s go-ahead homer that cleared the Green Monster and helped send New York toward their 1978 World Series championship.
Someone will be the hero on Tuesday, and if it’s anything like the long ball that earned Dent a permanent middle name within New England, it might just define their career.
“We’ll be ready,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “It should be fun. I think baseball enjoys it. I think our fans will show up on Tuesday and make Fenway feel like home.”
What are the projected starting lineups?
Yankees
Gleyber Torres 2B Anthony Rizzo 1B Aaron Judge RF Giancarlo Stanton DH Joey Gallo LF Gio Urshela SS Brett Gardner CF Gary Sánchez C Rougned Odor 3B
This is the new-look Yankees lineup with DJ LeMahieu having landed on the injured list with a sports hernia that will require surgery after the season. Torres has enjoyed his cameo thus far at the top of the order. They pieced together a nice rally in the ninth inning of Game 162; Odor singled, Torres advanced pinch-runner Tyler Wade with a deep fly ball and Rizzo singled before Judge knocked in the run that clinched the Yanks’ Wild Card spot.
Red Sox
Kiké Hernández 2B Kyle Schwarber LF Xander Bogaerts SS Rafael Devers 3B J.D. Martinez DH Alex Verdugo LF Hunter Renfroe RF Bobby Dalbec 1B Kevin Plawecki C
The Red Sox were spotty at the plate over the season’s final 10 days, but they took some of their best swings in clinching Game No. 162 against the Nats. That will need to carry over. There’s a chance Christian Vázquez gets the nod behind the plate, but Plawecki and starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi have been an effective battery all season, particularly of late.
Who are the starting pitchers?
Yankees: Gerrit Cole
The ace right-hander will be pitching on regular rest, one start removed from a solid effort to defeat the Red Sox at Fenway on Sept. 24, when he picked up his 16th victory of the year. Cole allowed a three-run homer to Devers in that outing. Cole is 2-2 with a 6.15 ERA over his last five starts, a span that likely allowed the Blue Jays’ Robbie Ray to grab the Cy Young Award. Cole has dealt with a left hamstring injury and some wonder if he is showing signs of fatigue from a 181 1/3-inning workload, though he said there is plenty left in the tank.
Red Sox: Nathan Eovaldi
Backed by a deep pitch mix and health, Eovaldi enjoyed his finest overall season in 2021. In his first five starts against the Yankees this season, Eovaldi allowed two earned runs or less each time out. Then came the fateful sixth on Sept. 24, when the Yankees crushed him for seven hits and seven runs in just 2 2/3 innings. Eovaldi has mainly mastered the Bombers since coming to Boston in '18. Anyone who watched the ’18 postseason remembers that the October spotlight is clearly not too bright for Eovaldi. Eovaldi's seven strikeouts
Sep 29, 2021
·
1:47 Eovaldi's seven strikeouts Get the latest from the Red Sox
Have the latest news, ticket information, and more from the Red Sox and MLB delivered right to your inbox.
How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Yankees
The Yanks’ relief corps has taken on a new look in recent weeks with the returns of Luis Severino and Domingo Germán, both of whom provide manager Aaron Boone with multi-inning options. Boone’s late-inning circle of trust centers heavily upon Jonathan Loáisiga, Chad Green and Clay Holmes, with Wandy Peralta drawing the most crucial left-on-left assignments. Michael King has been excellent and could provide four outs or more if needed, with all of them leading up to closer Aroldis Chapman.
Red Sox
This can be tricky for the Red Sox, as Cora has mainly mixed and matched with his relievers ever since Matt Barnes lost the closer’s role in August. Don’t try to predict whom Cora will use in the ninth inning, because it could be just about anyone. Garrett Whitlock, who just came back from a right pectoral strain in the final game of the regular season, has been Cora’s best reliever all season.
Rookie Tanner Houck also has an electric power arm and it will be interesting to see if he is available after throwing five perfect innings on 53 pitches on Saturday. Ryan Brasier had a late-season resurgence, so he will likely be asked to get some big outs. Hirokazu Sawamura, Adam Ottavino and Garrett Richards are other righties Cora will go to in important situations. Austin Davis has been a strong left-on-left option. It will be fascinating to see how many starting pitchers the Red Sox have on their roster for the Wild Card Game. Cora isn’t shy about going with “rovers” as he calls them in October.
Any injuries of note?
Yankees
Gio Urshela tumbled down the steps of the visiting dugout at Yankee Stadium while making a terrific play on Sunday, later saying that he was experiencing soreness in his right thigh as well as his elbow and calf. Urshela said that Monday’s off-day should help him recover and he expects to be ready for the Wild Card Game. DJ LeMahieu is out until at least a potential AL Championship Series with a sports hernia, and Luke Voit’s season ended Sunday when he was placed on the 60-day injured list with left knee inflammation.
Red Sox
J.D. Martinez tripped over second base while running out to play defense in the final regular-season game and sprained his left ankle. It would be significant news if he is unable to go on Tuesday night. The Sox will likely be without their top lefty reliever in Josh Taylor, who spent the final portion of the season on the injured list with a low back strain.
Who is hot and who is not?
Yankees
Giancarlo Stanton was a one-man wrecking crew during the Yankees’ most recent visit to Fenway, when he crushed three homers and drove in 10 runs across the Bombers’ three-game sweep. Since Aug. 23, Stanton is batting .295 (41-for-139) with 15 homers and 36 RBIs. Judge is hitting .325 (13-for-40) in his last 12 games, including three doubles, four homers and 13 RBIs.
Gerrit Cole is 2-2 with a 6.15 ERA in his last five starts, compared to 14-6 with a 2.73 ERA in the 25 starts before that. Joey Gallo has two hits in his last 23 at-bats, and one was a bunt single.
Red Sox
Rafael Devers, the best hitter on the Red Sox, got hot again in the final weekend of the season. That’s great news, as Devers can carry a lineup when he’s hot. He was 4-for-5 with two homers in the final regular-season game.
Xander Bogaerts, Boston’s team leader and owner of two World Series rings, is the definition of "not hot." Bogaerts has looked out of sync at the plate since Sept. 24, notching just five hits in his final 32 at-bats of the regular season and none for extra bases.
Anything else fans want to know?
The Yankees have played in three of the eight AL Wild Card Games since its inception in 2012. New York lost to the Astros in '15, then defeated the Indians in ’17 and beat the Athletics in ’18. This is the first time the Yanks will play in the Wild Card Game on the road. This is the first time the Red Sox have played in the Wild Card Game.
While the Red Sox and Yankees played ALCS Game 7s at Yankee Stadium in 2003 and ’04, this will be the first win-or-go-home contest between the squads at Fenway since game No. 163 in 1978. The Red Sox were a strong team at home this season (49-32), but the Yankees were nearly that good (46-35) on the road.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 4, 2021 3:06:51 GMT -5
There’s still more drama to come, but resilient Red Sox found a way to continue ride into postseason By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated October 3, 2021, 8:27 p.m.
WASHINGTON — Mistakes were made. It looked bleak when the Red Sox fell behind by four runs and manager Alex Cora had to use several players seemingly unfit for such high stakes.
Nothing came easy. The final game of the regular season Sunday followed the same grueling script Red Sox fans have been watching play out for months.
Maybe that explains how the resilient Sox found a way to beat the Washington Nationals, 7-5, and advance to the American League playoffs.
Rafael Devers drove in four runs, the final two with a home run in the top of the ninth inning that sailed 447 feet to center field and crashed into the Nationals logo beyond the fence.
Now comes the real drama. The Sox face the Yankees at Fenway Park on Tuesday night in the Wild Card Game. The winner advances to play the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday in the Division Series, the loser goes home for the winter.
“It’s going to be nuts,” left fielder Alex Verdugo said.
Both teams finished the season 92-70. But the Red Sox claimed home field on their rivals by virtue of a 10-9 record against the Yankees during the regular season.
“Wow. That’s just going to go down as another great game in this rivalry,” said Aaron Judge, whose ninth-inning single gave the Yankees a 1-0 victory against the Rays.
It will be the first appearance in the Wild Card Game for the Sox since the format made its debut in 2012.
The victory was especially emotional for Cora, who was fired before the 2020 season after his prominent role in Houston’s 2017 cheating scandal came to light.
He was rehired a year ago and guided a team with low expectations back to the playoffs.
“It means a lot. I was thinking about my family,” Cora said. “I put them in such a hell of a spot last year.
“Me, I can deal with it. I can deal with it. But for them it was tough. The support system that I have is amazing . . . this is for them.”
The Sox seemed to have every advantage when the game started as seven-time All-Star Chris Sale was facing Joan Adon, a 23-year-old righthander from the Dominican Republic making his major league debut.
Adon had a 4.97 earned run average in 21 minor league starts, the last one Sept. 24. The Nationals hoped he could go a few innings.
But it was Sale who couldn’t get through three innings, allowing two runs on four hits because of uncharacteristically poor command of his pitches.
Adon came out throwing 97-mile-per-hour fastballs and held the Sox to two runs over 5⅓ innings while striking out nine. He left the mound with a 5-1 lead.
The only run Adon allowed was a homer by Devers in the fourth inning.
The Sox staged their comeback against Washington’s bullpen.
Christian Vazquez’s infield single made it 5-2 in the sixth inning. The Sox then scored three in the seventh, one on a single by Devers and the last two on a double by Verdugo.
“You could feel the momentum building,” Cora said.
In a 5-5 game, Kyle Schwarber reached on an error to open the ninth inning before Devers belted a splitter from Kyle Finnegan to give the Sox their first lead of the game.
“I just kept believing in myself. I had to help the team,” Devers said. “I have to do this for our team and I came through.”
Devers, 24, has had a knack for big hits since he was called up to the majors in 2017. He finished the season with 38 home runs and 113 RBIs.
“He’s an amazing talent. He’s been there and done that. No moment is too big for him,” Cora said.
The Red Sox bullpen slammed the door on the Nationals. Martín Pérez, Garrett Whitlock, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Nick Pivetta retired 12 of the final 13 batters.
Whitlock came off the injured list earlier in the day and hadn’t pitched in two weeks. Rodriguez and Pivetta are usually starting pitchers.
Pivetta struck out Nationals star Juan Soto on three pitches to end the game.
“It’s never giving in, never giving up,” Pivetta said. “We fought really hard to get to this point. We’re a bunch of fighters and grinders on this team.”
The Sox are now 12 victories away from a fifth championship this century.
“There’s work to do,” Cora said.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 4, 2021 3:10:26 GMT -5
Red Sox notebook A troubling twist of J.D. Martinez’s left ankle douses Red Sox celebration with a sobering dose of reality By Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated October 3, 2021, 7:46 p.m.
WASHINGTON — All weekend, the Red Sox recognized the hint of peril that accompanied their decision to feature an outfield alignment in which Hunter Renfroe started in center and J.D. Martinez in right. The defensive grouping represented a less-than-ideal pairing forced by concluding the season in the National League park, without benefit of the designated hitter.
Danger did come, but in most unexpected fashion. As he jogged to right field for the bottom of the fifth inning, Martinez – with his head turned back while jogging to his position – stepped awkwardly on second base and stumbled over the bag. Manager Alex Cora and a trainer visited with Martinez and initially left him in the game, but the outfielder struggled to jog after a double to right in the inning.
In the top of the sixth, with the Sox trailing, 5-1, Cora lifted Martinez in favor of pinch hitter José Iglesias, trying to avoid any further injury to his slugger in case there was to be a Game 163 on Monday.
“It was a weird game, man,” Cora said. “You’re managing tonight, but then you see what’s going on in [other games on the scoreboard in] front of you and it’s like, ‘Wow, this is not going our way and there’s different scenarios that can happen.’ You’re trying to stay in the present, thinking in the future. It’s tough to do.”
Iglesias ended up going 2 for 3 and scored the second Sox run of the game, contributing to the 7-5 win.
“That’s what we do,” Cora said. “Somebody goes down, somebody has to come in and do the job and tonight was really good.” Related: Red Sox to host Yankees in Tuesday’s Wild Card Game after Rafael Devers helps clinch sweep of Nationals
Cora said he did not know if Martinez would be available for the Wild Card Game on Tuesday. Nate Eovaldi to get wild
Nate Eovaldi will start the Wild Card Game against the Yankees on Tuesday, Cora announced. Eovaldi was the only Red Sox pitcher who wasn’t available out of the bullpen Sunday.
Starters Nick Pivetta and Eduardo Rodriguez were both available in a shorthanded Red Sox bullpen, and both delivered perfect innings of work. Rodriguez pitched a perfect eighth in a tie game, and Pivetta recorded his second career save with a 1-2-3 ninth that was punctuated with a nasty curveball that froze the Nationals’ Juan Soto for strike three.
“That was an 80,” Pivetta said of the curveball, referring to the 20-to-80 scouting scale in which 80 represents top-of-the-charts attributes. Austin Davis returns serve
An unexpected subplot formed between the Nationals and Red Sox over the final weekend of the season.
On Saturday night, with Nationals superstar Soto due up with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, at a time when the Red Sox clung to a 1-0 lead, the Red Sox summoned reliever Austin Davis for a left-on-left matchup.
The two are familiar with each other, having faced off six times when Davis was with the Phillies. Soto was 2 for 6 with a homer and three strikeouts. Davis had been preparing to face Soto for the first two games of the series. Related: There’s still more drama to come, but resilient Red Sox found a way to continue ride into postseason
“I’m here to compete and I haven’t ever been in a postseason run this late into the year,” Davis said. “To be in a situation where I can face the best lefty hitter in baseball right now, to help us get into the postseason, it’s really fun.”
After Davis warmed up, Soto stepped out three times. Davis intimated to Soto that it was time to go. Soto didn’t appreciate the message.
“He started talking trash to me, and my mindset just changed to kick his [expletive],” Soto said Saturday night. “I don’t like it when they talk trash to me.”
Soto drilled a 393-foot drive but to center, just short of the track. Under the circumstances, a game-tying sacrifice fly (and the second out of an inning that Davis escaped without any further harm) represented a more-than-acceptable outcome for the Sox, who plated four runs in the ninth for a 5-3 win.
Davis was informed of Soto’s comments in the clubhouse after the game. He welcomed them.
“I want to kick his [expletive], too,” Davis said. “That’s how it should be. You want someone who’s completely locked in trying to kick your [expletive], and you’re completely locked in trying to kick his [expletive] for us to get in the postseason. The season’s on the line a little bit.”
For Davis, the opportunity to pitch on such a stage represented a memorable experience. Before being traded from the Pirates to the Red Sox at this year’s deadline in exchange for Michael Chavis, he’d spent parts of four years in the big leagues without ever experiencing a moment akin to Saturday.
“I’m really grateful for them bringing me over here,” Davis said. “A lot of guys who play a long time don’t get to be in these situations. And I’m just grateful that I get to because it’s really fun.”
Garrett Whitlock activated
The Red Sox activated righthander Garrett Whitlock from the injured list. He’d missed two weeks because of a strained pectoral muscle. The righthander represented a welcome form of reinforcements given his elite performance (8-4, 1.99 ERA, 26.8 percent strikeout rate) in 72⅓ innings. Whitlock pitched a perfect seventh, needing just 10 pitches to do so. To clear a spot on the roster for Whitlock, the team optioned righthander Eduard Bazardo to Triple-A Worcester . . . Before Sunday’s game, Red Sox slugger Kyle Schwarber sprinted across the field in search of Nationals home clubhouse staff members. Schwarber, who was traded July 29, wanted to make sure he got a chance to thank them for the help they provided in his four months with Washington.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 4, 2021 3:16:58 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 2h Since I can't sleep:
* Nate Eovaldi vs. Yankees this season (6 starts): 2-2, 3.71.
* Gerrit Cole vs. Red Sox this season (4 starts) 2-2, 4.91.
* Yankees at Fenway this season: 4-6, won the last 3.
* Sox vs. Yankees in postseason play: 12-11 Yankees. Sox won 7 of the last 11.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 4, 2021 3:24:19 GMT -5
J.D. Martinez suffers left ankle sprain, may miss Red Sox’ Wild Card game
By Steve Hewitt | stephen.hewitt@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald October 3, 2021 at 9:00 p.m.
The Red Sox prevailed to advance to Tuesday’s do-or-die Wild Card game against the Yankees, but they may have to play it without one of their best hitters.
J.D. Martinez left Sunday’s win over the Nationals with a left ankle sprain after a fluke incident. He was jogging to his defensive spot in right field for the fifth inning when he accidentally tripped over second base and hurt his ankle. He stayed in the game to finish the inning on defense, but was removed in the sixth when his turn to bat came up, as Jose Iglesias pinch-hit for him.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora wasn’t sure yet if they’d be without Martinez on Tuesday night.
“I don’t know,” Cora said. “We’ll know more later on, tomorrow.”
Martinez finished his 2021 regular season with a bounce-back year, though he cooled off during the second half. After a scorching hot start to the season, the designated hitter ended the regular season batting .286 with an .867 OPS, 28 home runs and 99 RBI.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 4, 2021 9:26:11 GMT -5
A postseason berth very much worth celebrating
The season is not over, but it’s already a success. By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins Oct 4, 2021, 9:30am EDT
This 2021 season is 100 percent a successful season for the Red Sox. Let’s start there. We know the season is not over, and we’re certainly not ready to write an obituary for this team with every expectation they can win on Tuesday, but in terms of the binary determination as to whether or not this season was successful? That’s been answered. The team came into the season with most, including yours truly, expecting a middling club that would be better than 2020 but still outside the playoff picture. They’ve left the regular season with their campaign still going, and that alone puts them easily on the right side of the bar in the success question.
Realistically speaking, it was still probably a positive even if they hadn’t pulled out that game on Sunday, and even if they had squandered their position and missed out on the postseason, this season likely could have been described as successful. I think it would have been more complicated than that, but at the very least it would have been a step in the right direction, with individual mileage varying on the definition of successful.
But none of that matters. We don’t have to think about that. They didn’t squander their position, and the season was definitively successful. It’s far from a perfect team, and they spent a whole lot of this season making it look the exact opposite of pretty. But they have a real chance to win a title, which is something very few people could have envisioned. I certainly wouldn’t bet money on that being the outcome, but there’s a path that exists on a plane we can fathom. That’s a success.
And it’s worth talking about how crazy things got and how they were even able to get to this expectation-defying place. First and foremost, in my eyes, you have to start with the rotation health. Coming into the season, it wasn’t that ridiculous to think the team could get into the wildcard mix if their rotation stayed healthy. But it was ridiculous to expect the rotation to stay healthy. Except they all did. Their whole rotation managed to stay off the (non-COVID) injured list through 162 games, and I don’t know how much of that is luck, how much is on the pitchers, how much is on the coaches, and how much of that is on the training and conditioning staffs. I certainly think all of those factor contributed, though, and to me it is the single biggest reason this season defied expectations and turned out to be so successful.
But that wasn’t the only reason this season already goes down the way it does. There was an aura around this team, and it starts with the clubhouse. I have my issues with Alex Cora, both for his past transgressions as well as some of his managing tendencies, but his ability to create a clubhouse culture is huge. It’s the reason this team could score so many runs despite the constantly wacky lineups, because he sets expectations for what his players can expect and consistently meets them. And it’s the reason he can make what seems like a non-sensical decision with the bullpen and it works, i.e. using Martín Pérez on Sunday.
There’s still more of this season to unfold, and the story of this team is not complete, so we don’t have to do too much reflection just yet. Keep the eyes and ears forward for now. But it’s also worth just taking a moment and reflecting back on a season that so few of us saw coming. We don’t want it to end now, and we will go into tomorrow expecting a win, but whatever does happen, 2021 was a success, and we can be happy celebrating that fact today.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 4, 2021 11:15:01 GMT -5
Chad Finn @globechadfinn · 2h Sox-Yankees wild card game airs on ESPN at 8 p.m. Tuesday, so … A-Rod. There will be an alternate Statcast-driven broadcast on ESPN2 with @jasonbenetti , @perezed , and @mike_petriello on the call.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 4, 2021 11:20:06 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 1h Kicking around some Red Sox roster ideas. They can do without a few relievers for one game. Could use an extra infielder with Iglesias ineligible. Maybe bring Duran back to pinch run? Would they want a third catcher? Martinez’s status is a factor.
The one-game thing is weird. Sale doesn’t need to be on the roster. Maybe you drop Rodriguez because he pitched yesterday and would start Thursday if they win. Lots of ways to get creative. Arroyo hasn’t played 9 innings since 8-26. Given his injury issues, they’ll need an INF.
Don’t be surprised if somebody out of the blue like Arauz ends up active. They really need to keep Hernández in center. Dalbec taking grounders at 2B lately seems more like a “break glass in case of emergency” thing than something they’d want to do. It’ll be interesting.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 4, 2021 13:27:49 GMT -5
What will the roster look like on Tuesday?
Who makes the cut, and who is left off? By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins Oct 4, 2021, 2:01pm EDT
The Red Sox are in the postseason, which is rather incredible, but there is no rest for the weary. As they get set for a one-game, winner-take-all affair against the Yankees on Tuesday, the team is going to have to determine what their roster will look like as well as how it will be deployed in the game. Obviously no one can predict how the game will unfold, but teams will have a broad plan to which they hope to stick and make it through the entire evening with a win.
Below we’re going to try our hand at building out the lineup, bench, and general gameplan. Just a couple of reminders before we do. One, remember that this is a postseason game, meaning the rosters go back down to 26 after being at 28 since September 1. Additionally, while he played a big role in getting the team to this point, José Iglesias is not eligible for the postseason as he was acquired after September 1. With that, here’s how I’d play things. Lineup (9)
Kiké Hernández, CF Kyle Schwarber, LF Xander Bogaerts, SS Rafael Devers, 3B J.D. Martinez, DH Alex Verdugo, RF Bobby Dalbec, 1B Christian Vázquez, C Christian Arroyo, 2B
A few crucial notes here. For one thing, I would personally have Schwarber leading off and Devers hitting second, but it’s pretty clear that is not on the table so it’s not worth putting in place even for this thought exercise. Secondly, Martinez’s status is still up in the air given the sprained ankle he suffered Sunday. If he cannot go, Schwarber shifts to DH, Verdugo moves to left and Renfroe enters the starting lineup as the right fielder. Verdugo versus Renfroe is a tough choice, but for the reasons I talked about earlier this morning as well as a point to be made in the bench section, I go Verdugo.
Otherwise, I think it’s mostly straight forward. The other big decision to make largely centers around second base. Because of the aforementioned Iglesias playing so well, Arroyo has not really been able to take too many swings. There’s an argument, then, to move Hernández to second and put either Verdugo or Renfroe in center field. To me, the defensive questions are just too large in that scenario, though. I think you roll with this to start and be aggressive with pinch hitting if Arroyo comes up in a big spot. Starting Pitcher (1)
Nathan Eovaldi
Duh. No need talking about this one. T-Shirt Collection
Take a look at the entire shirt collection from our friends over at BreakingT, including the one pictured above. Bench (5)
Kevin Plawecki
Hunter Renfroe
Travis Shaw
Jarren Duran
Jonathan Araúz
The first three spots are straight forward. Again, Renfroe could be in the starting lineup depending on the status of Martinez. Having Renfroe on the bench, though, would serve another big purpose, which is to provide some offense from the right side of the plate. This is a big hole for this team right now, and with the Yankees having a handful of very good left-handed options in their bullpen with Aroldis Chapman as well as guys like Wandy Peralta and Lucas Luetge, having that right-handed option late could very well turn this game.
If Martinez is inactive and Renfroe goes to the starting lineup, there’s not a great Plan B in Worcester. In that case, you might consider someone like Connor Wong, whose presence would make it easier to use Plawecki as a hitter so you don’t have to worry about a lack of catching on the bench.
Plawecki and Shaw are straight forward and have been a part of the bench for some time now, the former for the whole season. Duran and Araúz are the extra additions. Duran should be a more complete contributor down the road, but for as long as the Red Sox are in the postseason he’s largely a speed play. We’ve seen forever players like Terrance Gore and Quintin Berry, whose game-changing speed made them October mainstays even if their season-long production was either poor or non-existent. Duran has that kind of speed, and having him as a late-game running option is a must for the Red Sox.
That just leaves us with Araúz, who really just serves as insurance for the chance of Arroyo being hit for and the team needing an infielder. Theoretically they could also move Hernández into the infield with Duran entering as a center fielder, but A, that hurts the outfield defense and B, it potentially takes Duran off the table as a late-game running option. In a one-game scenario I certainly feel comfortable pulling one of my pitchers off the roster and adding an extra player to my bench. Remember, if they do advance they can submit a new roster for the ALDS. Bullpen (11)
Garrett Whitlock (RHP)
Adam Ottavino (RHP)
Hansel Robles (RHP)
Matt Barnes (RHP)
Garrett Richards (RHP)
Ryan Brasier (RHP)
Tanner Houck (RHP)
Darwinzon Hernandez (LHP)
Austin Davis (LHP)
Chris Sale (LHP)
Eduardo Rodriguez (LHP)
Ultimately, for me, the final cut was Nick Pivetta, though that was not an easy decision. I think he provides a really great weapon out of the bullpen, and could very easily be persuaded into putting him back on in the place of Sale, Rodriguez, Davis, or Hernandez. My only concern was the relative lack of left-handed pitching versus right-handed, as well as the fact that he just pitched to close Sunday’s game.
As far as the usage, this is where I think the team will try to have a plan in place if things go as well as possible. To me, the goal is to get five from Eovaldi. If he’s shoving I would certainly entertain the idea of him going longer, but the base plan is for him to go five. From there, I hand off to Houck and Ottavino to get through the seventh, and then turn to Whitlock for the final two innings. Again, things can go off the rails, and matchups may dictate a veer off course. I certainly don’t think it’d behoove Alex Cora to go into this with any rigid thinking. That said, if you’re mapping out your best-case scenario (realistically, at least), I think you’re going in with these 11, but hoping to just need Houck, Sale, and Whitlock.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 4, 2021 13:30:56 GMT -5
These Red Sox never made it easy, which makes their playoff trip all the sweeter "We’re a bunch of fighters and grinders on this team.”
By Jon Couture October 4, 2021 | 12:35 PM
COMMENTARY
The 2021 Red Sox died as they lived, which is to say they’re still kicking despite copious efforts not to be. Despite tempting us to wish they’d just pack it in and spare the grief. Resurrecting themselves at the last possible moment despite all reason and logic.
A 92-win season, just like the 1967 Impossible Dream from which every modern Red Sox expectation has sprung, and another return to the playoffs no one saw coming. I don’t think we need another “Red Sox Appreciation Week,” giving Rafael Devers the third-base bag in tribute, but we do need to take a minute before that winner-take-all showdown with the Yankees threatens our sanity again.
They won despite cowering from Ol’ Man Luxury Tax. Despite never actually employing an actual first baseman at first base. Despite consistent bonehead defense and chasing too many pitches. Despite Alex Cora and Chaim Bloom and every other punching bag du jour. Despite a 12-16 August and a COVID-19 outbreak and bookend Baltimore flops and “Hansel Robles, September Closer” and everything else we tore them apart for.
These Red Sox pushed through them all. It doesn’t justify the decisions, but it does justify them as the best team we could have expected. And then some.
“It’s never giving in, never giving up,” Nick Pivetta told reporters, after the starter finished out the playoff clincher with a comedic curveball to get all-world Juan Soto looking. “We fought really hard to get to this point. We’re a bunch of fighters and grinders on this team.”
And whatever happens from here shouldn’t erase just how engrossing this all was. How, dare I say, fun.
“It wasn’t easy,” a bleary yet clearly beaming Alex Cora told reporters on Saturday night, after the weekend’s first set of ninth-inning heroics. “It hasn’t been easy the whole season.”
As so often happens, the Red Sox and Yankees stole everyone else’s fun. No four-team play-in, no Game No. 163, just the American League’s two neutron stars back Tuesday as the only show in town on ESPN.
Gerrit Cole vs. Nate Eovaldi at Fenway Park. Ace vs. ace. Not even Chris Sale would argue after he spit the bit Sunday.
But like so much else this season, it only made the ending all the sweeter.
The lefty we waited for, was the spark after that dreadful August and the tentpole of this final week run to October, was outpitched by Joan Adon, who was in High-A the same week Sale made his 2021 Sox debut. Sale got seven outs for a cratering bullpen, handing a bases-loaded, one-out disaster to Hirokazu Sawamura, who hadn’t pitched in nine days.
Fast forward past the ensuing double play, past J.D. Martinez spraining his ankle running to his position, past the hole growing to 5-1 with 12 outs to go, and the Blue Jays champing at the bit to come to Fenway for a tiebreaker game Monday. These Red Sox might be best watched at double speed anyway, through the cracks in your fingers, or by reading the recap the next day.
They’re still around to test the theory, because those last 12 outs yielded six runs. Three came off the bat of Devers, who closed the door on the MLB regular season with its final home run.
“He was so relaxed,” Cora said. “He works on his craft so hard. It seems like sometimes he’s out of control. In that at-bat, he swings at a breaking ball and almost falls down and flips the bat and talks to himself. But he was able to stay in the moment.”
Three home runs and five RBIs on the final two days, sandwiched around stranding nine runners on Saturday. Thirty-eight homers, 113 RBIs, and 22 errors at third base. Their poster child. As able to make you slam your head into a table, only for you to wake up and discover you missed something spectacular, as any of them.
The 2004 Red Sox declared, “Why not us?” The 2021 Red Sox are, “Sure, why not?”
Forty-seven comeback victories. Twenty-two when tied or trailing going into the eighth, and 13 in games where they blew a save. José Iglesias and Travis Shaw won them games, this year! Their best reliever, Garrett Whitlock, was a Rule 5 pick, and their arguably second best, Josh Taylor, came from college power Scottsdale Community College. And both of them missed significant time while back-end stars Matt Barnes and Adam Ottavino fumbled.
Hunter Renfroe finished tied for the major-league lead in outfield assists (16) while simultaneously leading it in errors (12, including six from that cannon arm). Alex Verdugo is pure enthusiasm in human form, a promised “no, no, no, no!” or “no, no, no, yes!” every time he enters the camera frame.
Kiké Hernández? Who’s made more out of a second chance at major-league life, signed amid questions whether he was an everyday player and ending up one of Cora’s most indispensable names. (Put that flip play he made on Friday night in the Louvre.)
I, and everyone else, have gotten this team wrong time and time again. They were a dud coming out of the spring, then tied for the best record in baseball the second week of July. They were going to cruise in after crushing the Yankees in an electric four-game set three weeks later, only to collapse. They were doomed as September dawned, back after winning seven in a row, doomed again by a New York sweep and two embarrassing nights in Baltimore …
But I got one thing right: Cora was the perfect fit. He had everything to prove after a year at the bottom, just like his organization did. He didn’t prove it all, but Seattle’s Scott Servais likely beating him out for Manager of the Year doesn’t change there’s a pretty short list of guys who could’ve gotten a playoff berth out of this flawed crew.
Credit to him. Credit to Bloom, who hit on more guys despite relative budgetary constraints than we can count. Credit to all of them. Tuesday night was well earned.
Make the movie already: “It Can Never Be Easy: The Story of the 2021 Boston Red Sox.” The finished product will be a lot easier to watch than the making was.
Even if I still can’t quite believe it had a happy ending.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 4, 2021 13:42:45 GMT -5
Yanks-Red Sox position-by-position analysis 54 minutes ago Anthony Castrovince
Anthony Castrovince @castrovince
Way back on the morning of Oct. 2, 1978, in a position-by-position preview of the Yankees-Red Sox American League East tiebreaker game, we published the following analysis:
Shortstop: Rick Burleson was an All-Star for the second straight season and serves an important role as Boston’s leadoff man. But Bucky Dent, despite an uninspiring .317 slugging percentage, is the player most likely to hit a game-changing three-run home run over the Green Monster. Advantage: Yankees
Yes, for more than 40 years, this website has been the leader in postseason positional analysis. You can look it up. (Note: Please don’t look it up.)
And here we are again, breaking down a winner-take-all tilt between baseball’s most bitter rivals.
We have scoured the rosters of the Red Sox and Yankees in advance of Tuesday’s AL Wild Card Game at Fenway Park and couldn’t find Bucky “Bleeping” Dent anywhere. So we’ll have to put on our thinking caps to assess how these two 92-win clubs stack up at each spot. Obviously, the game -- especially being just one game -- is dynamic and unpredictable. But the goal is to inspire fun debate and discussion and, hopefully, come out as correctly as we did in ’78 (again, please, please don’t look it up).
Catcher
Gerrit Cole’s go-to batterymate is Kyle Higashioka, and the defense and the comfort factor between pitcher and catcher is important enough that the Yankees can reasonably look away from Higgy’s .181/.246/.389 slash line (including a .502 OPS in the final month).
Boston’s Christian Vázquez had a disappointing year offensively, with a .258/.308/.352 slash line. He did, however, turn it up a notch in the final month (.284/.310/.433) and he has a longer offensive track record. Vázquez’s six defensive runs saved ranked third among catchers with at least 900 innings this season.
Advantage: Red Sox
First base
This is the first of several spots where we are making assumptions about the Red Sox lineup that have not been confirmed, as of this writing. We’ll assume for now that Kyle Schwarber is in the outfield and Bobby Dalbec is at first base. Dalbec’s second-half surge (.269/.345/.615 slash line) was vital for the Red Sox. He was the first Red Sox rookie to hit 25 home runs since Nomar Garciaparra in 1997, and his potential to come up with a big hit is not to be discounted.
But in Anthony Rizzo, the Yankees have an October-tested veteran known to put up tough at-bats. He was by no means an overpowering offensive addition for the Yanks (.249/.340/.428), but the separator here is his trustworthiness on the defensive end. Rizzo’s six outs above average tied for second in MLB among qualified first basemen, whereas Dalbec’s minus-six mark ranked last. For what it’s worth, Rizzo is 5-for-9 with three doubles in his career against Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi.
Advantage: Yankees
Second base
The Red Sox are in the weird spot of not being able to play one of their biggest late-season catalysts -- José Iglesias -- in the postseason because they acquired him too late for him to be eligible. So we anticipate that Enrique Hernández will start here and not center field (another option would be Christian Arroyo, but he’s played sparingly since his return from the COVID-19 list). Hernández is an excellent defender (seven outs above average at second) with a solid bat (.250/.337/.449) and a long -- and mostly productive -- track record in October.
Gleyber Torres’ struggles in 2021 are well-documented. He did begin to turn things around just prior to a shift from shortstop to second base and he had an .841 OPS in the season’s last three weeks and he is ever-capable of taking over a ballgame. But right now, Hernández feels like the safer selection.
Advantage: Red Sox
Shortstop
In a perfect world, the Yankees would have been able to leave Gio Urshela alone at third base instead of shifting him to short, but Torres’ struggles necessitated a revised infield. Urshela had a down offensive year, with an OPS+ (97) just shy of league average.
Xander Bogaerts’ 5-for-32 funk amidst the final playoff push generated headlines, but the bottom line is that he’s on the short list of the best shortstops in the sport, with a typically terrific .295/.370/.493 slash line and 23 home runs this season.
Advantage: Red Sox
Third base
DJ LeMahieu’s difficult 2021 regular season ended with a hernia injury, and that further alters the left-hand side of the Yankees’ infield. Rougned Odor could start here, or Urshela could shift back over with Andrew Velazquez at short. Tyler Wade’s also in the mix. In any event, it’s a sub-optimal situation for the Yankees.
Rafael Devers, on the other hand, built on his budding reputation as one of the game’s young stars. He came up clutch with the go-ahead homer in the ninth inning Sunday to seal this Wild Card date, punctuating a season in which his .890 OPS was third in the Majors among qualified third basemen. Get the latest from the Red Sox
Have the latest news, ticket information, and more from the Red Sox and MLB delivered right to your inbox.
Advantage: Red Sox
Left field
We’ll assume Schwarber starts here for the Sox. And pretty much the only thing that could slow Schwarber’s bat this season was the hamstring injury that cost him six weeks of action. Aside from that, he was unstoppable for two teams, with a .374 on-base percentage, .554 slugging percentage and 32 homers between the Nationals and Red Sox.
Joey Gallo, like Schwarber, can batter baseballs, and therefore is always one swing away from breaking a game open. But that comes with a lot of swing and miss, as the Yanks have seen since acquiring him midseason. He hit .160 in 58 games with the Yanks.
Advantage: Red Sox
Center field
Again, following the dominoes that result from Iglesias’ unavailability at second base, we’ll slot Alex Verdugo here instead of Hernández. Verdugo has been basically a league-average bat in his second season in Boston, but his .321/.392/.501 slash line against right-handers is an important attribute in this particular matchup.
But defense matters, too. Verdugo’s minus-six outs above average in center field places him last among those with at least 10 attempts, whereas the Yankees’ Brett Gardner graded out as exactly average. At 38 years old, Gardner’s offensive production has diminished, though he did have a respectable .261/.351/.441 slash line in the season’s last two months. We’ll give him the edge because of the glove.
Advantage: Yankees
Right field
Hunter Renfroe gave the Red Sox a very nice return on their modest one-year investment, with an .816 OPS, 31 home runs and 33 doubles. And here’s our semi-regular reminder that, from the neck up, he weirdly resembles Mike Trout.
But of course, he’s no Aaron Judge. Though he won’t be taking home AL MVP honors, Judge was in the next tier with a .287/.373/.544 slash line, 39 homers and 98 RBIs. He can obviously hit the ball a long, long way, yet it was his clutch infield single in Sunday’s walk-off win that punched the Yankees’ ticket.
Advantage: Yankees
Designated hitter
That Giancarlo Stanton was healthy enough to accrue 579 plate appearances this season is probably his most important stat of all. We saw what that booming bat is capable of, and at times -- especially down the stretch -- it was breathtaking. Stanton’s .273/.354/.516 slash line and 35 homers helped the Yanks overcome some unexpected concerns elsewhere in the order.
J.D. Martinez had another excellent season, slashing .286/.349/.518 with 28 homers. Concern arose on the final day of the season, when he sprained his left ankle stumbling over second base on his way to the outfield.
Advantage: Yankees
Starting pitcher
You pay Gerrit Cole an average of $36 million annually to make a start like this. He vied for the AL Cy Young Award, as one would expect, in 2021, with a 3.23 ERA, 133 ERA+ and an AL-best 5.9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 30 starts. But the conversation coming into this game will likely revolve around the 15 earned runs he allowed in his last 17 2/3 innings. Will Cole lock in for the one-and-done game?
Eovaldi sure locked in when the Red Sox needed him most in the 2018 World Series. And he’s had a terrific 2021, with a 3.75 ERA, 126 ERA+ and AL-best marks in FIP (2.79) and walks per nine innings (1.7). If you were to give the edge to Eovaldi in a home park where he had a 3.47 ERA in 19 starts, it’s not a crazy take at all. But forgive us for going chalk here with Cole.
Advantage: Yankees
Bullpen
In his late-season return from injury, Luis Severino has given the Yankees’ bullpen a much different look, giving Boone a multi-inning option to serve alongside Chad Green, Clay Holmes and the recently returned Jonathan Loáisiga as the bridge to Aroldis Chapman. Thus, the Yankees’ bullpen is in a far better spot now than it was just a few weeks ago.
Boston’s bullpen has more question marks right now. Though the Red Sox did get an important ‘pen piece back on Sunday with the return of Garrett Whitlock, the prolonged absence of primary lefty Josh Taylor has been a hurdle. The closer role is currently unclear because of Matt Barnes’ 6.48 ERA in the second half. Starter Nick Pivetta closed out Game 162.
Advantage: Yankees
Prediction
About the only thing we can predict with certainty is that we’ll be seeing that Bucky Dent highlight ad nauseum. But in a much-less-certain attempt to envision the outcome, we’ll take our chances with Cole and what looks to be the better bullpen. Then again, who knows what random member of the Yankees or Red Sox will earn an expletive for a middle name after this one?
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 4, 2021 16:19:08 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 17m A few Yankees updates:
* Aaron Boone expects Gio Urshela to play tomorrow.
* Kyle Higashioka will catch Gerrit Cole. Gary Sanchez will come come off the bench.
* Cole on Eovaldi: “Nate’s got some magic, man. He’s a high-stakes performer, obviously."
Aaron Boone on playing at Fenway: "There’s a buzz here. It matters here. It’s fun to compete in games here. It’s tough to compete in games here. I think there will be some tension [and] electricity. Everything you could hope for."
|
|
|
Post by Kimmi on Oct 4, 2021 16:26:54 GMT -5
It doesn't get much better than this.
I'm not sure if my nerves can take it.
|
|
|
Post by scrappyunderdog on Oct 4, 2021 19:53:12 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 1h Kicking around some Red Sox roster ideas. They can do without a few relievers for one game. Could use an extra infielder with Iglesias ineligible. Maybe bring Duran back to pinch run? Would they want a third catcher? Martinez’s status is a factor.
The one-game thing is weird. Sale doesn’t need to be on the roster. Maybe you drop Rodriguez because he pitched yesterday and would start Thursday if they win. Lots of ways to get creative. Arroyo hasn’t played 9 innings since 8-26. Given his injury issues, they’ll need an INF.
Don’t be surprised if somebody out of the blue like Arauz ends up active. They really need to keep Hernández in center. Dalbec taking grounders at 2B lately seems more like a “break glass in case of emergency” thing than something they’d want to do. It’ll be interesting. I like Aruaz, but I would choose DeShields over Duran. he is a better base stealer and probably better defensively.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 5, 2021 3:15:34 GMT -5
AL Wild Card Game FAQ (8 ET, ESPN) 1:16 AM ADT Bryan Hoch
Bryan Hoch @bryanhoch Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
It is arguably the greatest rivalry in professional sports, the Red Sox and the Yankees, boiled down to a nine-inning fight for survival. One team will advance to face the Rays in the American League Division Series, and the other will go home.
What could be better than that? This year's American League Wild Card Game promises to be one for the ages, played on the storied turf at Boston's Fenway Park tonight at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN, with an alternative "Statcast broadcast" on ESPN2.
"That's going to be a fun game right there," said the Yankees' Aaron Judge. "It's going to be action-packed. You know they're going to bring their 'A' game. We're going to bring our 'A’ game. It's just going to go down as another great game in this big rivalry we have.”
Forty three years ago, the Red Sox hosted the Yankees in a one-game playoff that is still chronicled and dissected to this day, best remembered for Bucky Dent’s go-ahead homer that cleared the Green Monster and helped send New York toward its 1978 World Series championship.
Someone will be the hero on Tuesday, and if it’s anything like the long ball that earned Dent a permanent middle name within New England, it might just define their career.
“We’ll be ready,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “It should be fun. I think baseball enjoys it. I think our fans will show up on Tuesday and make Fenway feel like home.”
How have both clubs fared against each other in the postseason in the Wild Card era?
• H2H Record: Yankees 12 - Red Sox 11 • Runs Scored: Red Sox 118 - Yankees 112 • Home Runs: Red Sox 31, Yankees 29 • Pitching K's: Yankees 180, Red Sox 175 • Postseason Appearances: Yankees 23, Red Sox 14 • AL Pennants: Yankees 7, Red Sox 4 • WS Titles: Yankees 5, Red Sox 4
What are the projected starting lineups?
Yankees
Gleyber Torres, 2B Anthony Rizzo, 1B Aaron Judge, RF Giancarlo Stanton DH Joey Gallo, LF Gio Urshela, SS Brett Gardner, CF Rougned Odor, 3B Kyle Higashioka, C
This is the new-look Yankees lineup with DJ LeMahieu having landed on the injured list with a sports hernia that will require surgery after the season. Torres has enjoyed his cameo thus far at the top of the order. They pieced together a nice rally in the ninth inning of Game 162; Odor singled, Torres advanced pinch-runner Tyler Wade with a deep fly ball and Rizzo singled before Judge knocked in the run that clinched the Yanks’ Wild Card spot.
Red Sox
Kiké Hernández, CF Kyle Schwarber, 1B Xander Bogaerts, SS Rafael Devers, 3B J.D. Martinez, DH Alex Verdugo, LF Hunter Renfroe, RF Christian Arroyo, 2B Kevin Plawecki, C
The Red Sox were spotty at the plate over the season’s final 10 days, but they took some of their best swings in clinching Game No. 162 against the Nats. That will need to carry over if Boston is going to put a dent in Yankees ace Gerrit Cole. Why Plawecki over Christian Vázquez behind the plate? Boston starter Nathan Eovaldi had a 3.28 ERA this season in 96 innings when paired with Plawecki. With Vázquez, he had a 4.77 ERA in 66 innings.
Who are the starting pitchers?
Yankees: Gerrit Cole
The ace right-hander will be pitching on regular rest, one start removed from a solid effort to defeat the Red Sox at Fenway on Sept. 24, when he picked up his 16th victory of the year. Cole allowed a three-run homer to Devers in that outing. Cole is 2-2 with a 6.15 ERA over his last five starts, a span that likely allowed the Blue Jays’ Robbie Ray to grab the Cy Young Award. Cole has dealt with a left hamstring injury and some wonder if he is showing signs of fatigue from a 181 1/3-inning workload, though he said there is plenty left in the tank.
Red Sox: Nathan Eovaldi
Backed by a deep pitch mix and health, Eovaldi enjoyed his finest overall season in 2021. In his first five starts against the Yankees this season, Eovaldi allowed two earned runs or less each time out. Then came the fateful sixth on Sept. 24, when the Yankees crushed him for seven hits and seven runs in just 2 2/3 innings. Eovaldi has mainly mastered the Bombers since coming to Boston in '18. Anyone who watched the ’18 postseason remembers that the October spotlight is clearly not too bright for Eovaldi.
Stars of the rivalry
These two clubs are very familiar with one another, both due to their common division and their historic rivalry. Who are some players who have hit well in previous head-to-head matchups between them?
For the Yankees, look no further than Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sánchez. Stanton, who has been red-hot of late, is usually red-hot against the Red Sox -- in 48 career games against Boston, Stanton has hit .287/.366/.532 with 10 doubles, a triple and 10 homers. And Sánchez has launched 18 homers to go along with an .860 OPS in 68 games against the Red Sox.
The Boston hitters with the most success against the Yankees are J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers. In 86 games against the Yanks, Martinez has hit .291/.346/.528 with 17 homers. And Devers has enjoyed some of his finest moments at the plate while facing New York (remember the missile of a homer he belted against Aroldis Chapman's triple-digit fastball as a rookie in 2017?). His .250/.302/.449 slash line against the Yanks doesn't really stand out, but his 13 homers in 71 games certainly do.
As far as the pitching matchup for Tuesday is concerned, Enrique Hernández has had the most success against Cole, with five hits in 11 at-bats, including a home run. On the Yankees side, Aaron Judge is 8-for-20 with two doubles and a homer off Eovaldi, and Anthony Rizzo is 5-for-9 with three doubles against him.
How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Yankees
The Yanks’ relief corps has taken on a new look in recent weeks with the returns of Luis Severino and Domingo Germán, both of whom provide manager Aaron Boone with multi-inning options. Boone’s late-inning circle of trust centers heavily upon Jonathan Loáisiga, Chad Green and Clay Holmes, with Wandy Peralta drawing the most crucial left-on-left assignments. Michael King has been excellent and could provide four outs or more if needed, with all of them leading up to closer Aroldis Chapman.
Red Sox
This can be tricky for the Red Sox, as Cora has mainly mixed and matched with his relievers ever since Matt Barnes lost the closer’s role in August. Don’t try to predict whom Cora will use in the ninth inning, because it could be just about anyone. Garrett Whitlock, who just came back from a right pectoral strain in the final game of the regular season, has been Cora’s best reliever all season.
Rookie Tanner Houck also has an electric power arm and it will be interesting to see if he is available after throwing five perfect innings on 53 pitches on Saturday. Ryan Brasier had a late-season resurgence, so he will likely be asked to get some big outs. Hirokazu Sawamura, Adam Ottavino and Garrett Richards are other righties Cora will go to in important situations. Austin Davis has been a strong left-on-left option. It will be fascinating to see how many starting pitchers the Red Sox have on their roster for the Wild Card Game. Cora isn’t shy about going with “rovers” as he calls them in October.
Any injuries of note?
Yankees
Gio Urshela tumbled down the steps of the visiting dugout at Yankee Stadium while making a terrific play on Sunday, later saying that he was experiencing soreness in his right thigh as well as his elbow and calf. Urshela said that Monday’s off-day should help him recover and he expects to be ready for the Wild Card Game. DJ LeMahieu is out until at least a potential AL Championship Series with a sports hernia, and Luke Voit’s season ended Sunday when he was placed on the 60-day injured list with left knee inflammation.
Red Sox
J.D. Martinez tripped over second base while running out to play defense in the final regular-season game and sprained his left ankle. It would be significant news if he is unable to go on Tuesday night. The Sox will likely be without their top lefty reliever in Josh Taylor, who spent the final portion of the season on the injured list with a low back strain.
Who is hot and who is not?
Yankees
Giancarlo Stanton was a one-man wrecking crew during the Yankees’ most recent visit to Fenway, when he crushed three homers and drove in 10 runs across the Bombers’ three-game sweep. Since Aug. 23, Stanton is batting .295 (41-for-139) with 15 homers and 36 RBIs. Judge is hitting .325 (13-for-40) in his last 12 games, including three doubles, four homers and 13 RBIs.
Gerrit Cole is 2-2 with a 6.15 ERA in his last five starts, compared to 14-6 with a 2.73 ERA in the 25 starts before that. Joey Gallo has two hits in his last 23 at-bats, and one was a bunt single.
Red Sox
Rafael Devers, the best hitter on the Red Sox, got hot again in the final weekend of the season. That’s great news, as Devers can carry a lineup when he’s hot. He was 4-for-5 with two homers in the final regular-season game.
Xander Bogaerts, Boston’s team leader and owner of two World Series rings, is the definition of "not hot." Bogaerts has looked out of sync at the plate since Sept. 24, notching just five hits in his final 32 at-bats of the regular season and none for extra bases.
Should the game go to extra innings, will there be an automatic runner at second base to start each half-inning?
The answer is no. Each half-inning will start with a clean slate, and that is in effect for each round of the postseason, including the Wild Card Games.
How do rosters work for the Wild Card Game?
Each team must submit a 26-man roster by 10 a.m. ET on Tuesday. That roster is good for this one game only. Whichever team wins can reset the roster for the Division Series, which will start on Thursday at Tropicana Field against the Rays. Given that this roster is only for one game, it will be interesting what the position-player/pitcher allotment will be for both rivals.
Anything else fans want to know?
The Yankees have played in three of the eight AL Wild Card Games since its inception in 2012. New York lost to the Astros in '15, then defeated the Indians in ’17 and beat the Athletics in ’18. This is the first time the Yanks will play in the Wild Card Game on the road. This is the first time the Red Sox have played in the Wild Card Game.
While the Red Sox and Yankees played ALCS Game 7s at Yankee Stadium in 2003 and ’04, this will be the first win-or-go-home contest between the squads at Fenway since game No. 163 in 1978. The Red Sox were a strong team at home this season (49-32), but the Yankees were nearly that good (46-35) on the road.
|
|