Tag: Yankee Stadium

Red Sox Win and We’re on to Houston

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Three days ago the Red Sox looked like a team on the ropes. Today, they’re moving on to the American League Championship Series to take on the defending champion Houston Astros. What the hell happened?

The Red Sox dominated the Yankees in Yankee Stadium in Games 3 and 4. Game 3 starter Nathan Eovaldi was dazzling in his postseason debut and Game 4 starter Rick Porcello turned in the best postseason performance of his career. All the while Red Sox batters mashed Yankees starting pitchers and left Aaron Boone looking like Ron Burgundy in the opposing dugout, never able to get out the hook soon enough.

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All of that leaves me feeling good as the Red Sox move on to take on the Astros in the ALCS. A lot of credit goes to Alex Cora who had the balls to shake up the lineup for Game 3. His gamble paid off as the lineup exploded and Brock Holt hit for the first cycle in baseball playoff history. A lot of credit goes to Red Sox starters, too. If you take out David Price (a big if, I know), Red Sox starters pitched 17.1 innings and allowed just four earned runs off 14 hits and two walks. That’s good for an ERA of 2.11.

The bullpen was an adventure in Game 1, and Craig Kimbrel was a hire-wire act in Game 4, but between the other guys last night and their performances in Games 2 and 3 I’m confident Cora has enough pieces to work with. The big question is David Price.

As I mentioned earlier this week, former Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello hadn’t pitched in a postseason victory until Friday night. Prior to Game 1 of the ALDS, his teams were 0-11 in games he pitched in (though his record was just 0-3). Roger Clemens won three Cy Young Awards with the Red Sox (and an MVP award, too) but went just 1-2 with a 3.88 ERA for the Red Sox in nine postseason starts. Hall of Famer Randy Johnson went 2-6 in the playoffs with a 3.71 ERA before winning 2001 World Series MVP honors. My point is not every one is Curt Schilling in the playoffs. It takes some time for some guys to figure it out. That’s why I would give David Price the ball one more time in Game 2 of the ALCS.

If Price doesn’t bring it Sunday night, make it a bullpen game and move him to the bullpen for the rest of the playoffs. The Red Sox other starters looked strong in the ALDS, but can you expect Nathan Eovaldi to morph into the 1991 version of Jack Morris this month? Probably not. It may be possible to win a title without Price contributing but that shouldn’t be the first choice. That’s why Price should get one last chance. At least if things go haywire early, Alex Cora can find a hook quicker than some other managers…

Yankees in Driver’s Seat For Game 3

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aaron-judge-david-price-minAfter another David Price Playoff Disaster (DPPD™) in Game 2, things aren’t looking great for the Sox in the Bronx for Game 3 of their American League Division Series against the Yankees. Before we go any further, here’s a quick look at where, when, and how to watch the game along with the latest lines:

  • Location: Yankee Stadium (Bronx, NY)
  • First Pitch: Monday, October 8, 7:40 PM EDT
  • TV: TBS
  • Odds (via Odds Shark): Yankees -1.5 (runline) / Yankees -190 (moneyline) / 8.5 (total)

Red was right last week when he said that Red Sox fans didn’t seem super confident for a team that won 108 regular-season games. Today those pessimistic fans are having their worst fears realized. After Price left the Sox high and dry in Game 2, they head to New York with the series even at 1-1.

Mid-season acquisition Nathan Eovaldi will take the hill for the Sox in Game 3, while the Yankees will send their ace, Luis Severino to the hill. The Yankees were 53-28 at their home little league field this year. The Red Sox went 3-6 in the Bronx this year, taking one out of three in each of their three visits in 2018. It’s hard not to like the Yankees (and the over) in Game 3.

As I just mentioned, though, the Red Sox never got swept in the Bronx this year. The best case scenario for the Sox could be a Yankees rout tonight but a close win behind Rick Porcello in Game 4. Pretty Ricky didn’t get the win in Game 1 (he got a hold), but it was the first playoff win he had ever pitched in. Prior to Friday night, Rick’s teams were 0-11 in playoff games he appeared in. Maybe now that he’s off the schneid, he can gut out a Game 4 victory for the Sox.

Fans who have tickets to Red Sox ALDS home game number three should keep their Thursday night, and weekend open. I’m saying this series goes the distance and then some, as Thursday in Boston could be a washout. If it gives Chris Sale, and what will undoubtedly be a highly taxed bullpen, an extra day of rest, maybe the Red Sox still have a puncher’s chance in this series.

Crushed Price

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It strains the imagination to conceive of Price pitching any worse than he did. He allowed eight runs courtesy of five – yes, five – home runs in 3 1/3 innings of an 11-1 laugher that left the Red Sox and Yankees tied once again atop the AL East.

After nine career starts against the Yankees with the Red Sox, Price’s ERA is 8.43. At Yankee Stadium, he is 0-5 with a 10.44 ERA.

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I don’t how much else there is to say about David Price and last night’s game. Another disastrous outing against the Yankees for him. If I were Alex Cora, though, I’d start thinking about finding ways to limit Price’s appearances against the Yankees. Seriously.

The Red Sox have ten games left against the Yankees in the regular season. Those ten games include a four-game series in Boston the first weekend of August, a three-game set in the Bronx in mid-September, and another three-game set in Boston to close out the regular season. At the very least, Cora should find a way to make Price miss the series in New York.

That’s more difficult with both Drew Pomeranz and Steven Wright on the disabled list, but it’s still a proposition worth exploring. If the Sox have an extra off day the week of a Yankees series, maybe move up Price to miss the Yankees series. If the Sox are playing 12 straight days going into a Yankees series, maybe bring up a minor leaguer to “give everyone an extra day of rest,” and push Price back.

Cora shouldn’t embarrass Price, but he should get creative. It shouldn’t matter to Cora how much Price is getting paid. Do what’s best for the team by putting Price in the best positions to succeed.

Price is 9-6 through 17 starts this season, and the Red Sox are 11-6 in the games he’s started. If he could repeat that in the second half of the season, the Red Sox would take it. Wins against the Yankees in the regular season don’t count extra. If Price can give more for the team against the Rays, Blue Jays and Orioles, take it.

Red Sox Looking to Temper Red Hot Yankees in the Bronx Tonight

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Starting tonight the Red Sox head into the Bronx to take on the Yankees while currently holding a 1 game lead in the AL East. After taking 2 of 3 from the Yankees in the first series of the year the Yanks have gone on an absolute heater winning 15 of 16…. all while leaning on rookies. So the Yankees lineup that was absolutely stacked with power hitters now has a rookie in Gleyber Torres who is hitting a cool .327/.357/.857 ?? Cool. I look forward to hating you soon enough Mr. Torres.

Thankfully the Sox have been taking care of business on their end as well with Mookie Betts merely becoming the best player in baseball. No big deal. And before you try and shut me down hear me out. Mookie is leading the MLB in Batting Average, Slugging Percentage, OPS, Runs Scored, Home Runs, Total Bases, and Extra Base Hits.

These two teams are FINALLY both great at the same time. We’ve said it ad nauseam but over the past decade these two teams kept missing each other, which is why they haven’t faced off in the playoffs in years. Now both are a legitimate threat to win 100 games this year. The last time I could find two teams in the same division that won 100 games was the 2001 AL West when the Mariners won 116 games and the Athletics won 102 so this division race has the potential to be historic.

JD Martinez has actually been playing great as well hitting .349/.396/1.015 with 8 Home Runs and 27 RBIs on the year. The surprise in my voice in response to how well JD is playing is a sad reflection of how badly the Sox have botched big money free agent signings in recent years. David Price (too soon?), Pablo Sandoval, Rusney Castillo, Carl Crawford etc.  So Just Dingers Martinez actually living up to the hype thus far has been a pleasant surprise on Yawkey Way Jersey Street.

There’s 16 more rounds of this left and after a benches clearing brawl in the 2nd game of the year between them this is the earliest I’ve been jacked up for a Sox Yanks game. The rivalry is back, the two teams legitimately don’t like each other, and most importantly we are each other’s biggest threat and direct competition on the path to a World Series. Hey, ESPN might even finally benefit from having them on national TV every other week.

Tonight we have Drew Pomeranz (1-1) 6.14 ERA vs Luis Severino (5-1) 2.11 ERA so that is mismatch city. The Sox beat the hell out of Severino for 5 runs in 5 innings last time around, but since then he’s sporting a 1.24 ERA with 32 Ks and 5 walks in 29 IP. This will be Pomeranz’s 4th start back from the DL so I’m not super confident, but he does have a 3-2 record and a 3.12 ERA in his career at Yankee Stadium. All things considered I’ve gotta go with Severino tonight as the guy is on a roll and is unlikely to lay an egg against the Sox twice in a row. With that being said if you gamble on individual baseball games you are a sick degenerate and I cannot help you.

The Continuing Quest to See All 30 Ballparks

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By now it’s no secret that i’ve been chipping away at my goal of seeing a game at every major league ballpark. Now that the 2018 season is upon us, I thought it would be the perfect time to update you on my quest and ask you the readers what I should tackle next?

Coming into this MLB season I’ve been to 12 ballparks all while experiencing some amazing highs (Pirates, Padres) and some spectacular lows (Yankee Stadium 2.0). My list is as follows, ranked according to my level of enjoyment:

  1. Pirates
  2. Padres
  3. Cubs
  4. Rockies
  5. Brewers
  6. Red Sox
  7. Mets
  8. Dodgers
  9. Orioles
  10. Twins
  11. Phillies
  12. Yankees

It’s kind of hard to do a ranking, especially when the middle of the list doesn’t really have any faults, it’s just that it didn’t have any memorable moments. I rank the Pirates so high because of the views from PNC. Situated perfectly on the river, it’s an incredible sight with the skyline and bridges in the distance. I also managed to snag a beautiful Pirates cowboy hat from the gift shop and free beer from a broken keg, dumping gallons of free suds into the concourse (and into my cup).

Wrigley was a bachelor party so good times were had, Petco Park was a beautiful summer night the weekend of 4th of July, and Citi Field is the home of my team the Mets, so I have a bit of a bias there.

Yankee Stadium did absolutely nothing for me. It felt like a place you’d go watch gladiators fight lions, let alone a game of baseball. It was too sterile, too corporate, all things that have been said time and time again.

2018 will bring my total to 15, as I will be adding the White Sox, Nationals, and Angels to the list.

Is there anything else I should hit? Would you guys like to see some video reviews of some of these places? Let us know in the comments and we will bring you the A+ content.