Do the Red Sox have a secret weapon heading into the playoffs? Every baseball team spends a lot of time trying to read pitchers to figure out if they’re tipping anything. But the Sox, apparently, have a reputation around the game for being better at it than everyone else. Whether or not that’s true, just knowing that opposing pitchers are thinking about it is a win for Sox hitters. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
If the Sox bats do take it to the Yankees arms, lets hope that Aaron Boone doesn’t trot out
either pitch-tipping or sign-stealing as whiny excuses. As it is, he’s already getting a little snippy with Alex Cora, taking issue with the way Cora is portraying the Sox as underdogs and accusing him of playing “the little engine that could” card. And, let’s get real here: the idea that “nobody thought [the Red Sox] would make it to October” as Cora claims is ridiculous. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
Though this panel of experts does think that the Red Sox are underdogs in this particular series. (The Athletic)
But how about we get a take from a professional scout? (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
For the last several years, the Yankees have usually had a bullpen advantage over the Sox, and over whichever team they faced, frankly. But that’s not the case this year, thanks to the dominance of Aroldis Chapman, who revived his career by, among other things, throwing into eight different catchers mitts. (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)
And while we won’t see it this series with all three games taking place in New York, Chapman’s entrance video has helped turn Fenway into a party this year. (Matt Juul, Boston Globe)
Unsurprisingly, Chapman throws the ball harder than anyone else on the Sox (and damn near harder than anyone else in baseball). But who hits the ball the hardest? Roman Anthony is one of the top two guys on the list, though the second guy might surprise you, even if the Sox players knew exactly who it is without looking at the numbers. (Julian Benbow, Boston Globe)
It would be great if Alex Bregman would start hitting the ball a little harder, as he still hasn’t climbed out of his September swoon. And now there’s something else to worry about: he’s come down with an illness, and apparently is sick enough that he traveled to New York on his own to keep the rest of the team healthy. (Andrew Gould, NESN)
But Alex Bregman will play in this series and the final roster is set. David Hamilton, Nate Eaton, and Nick Sogard all made the cut on the position player side, indicating that Craig Breslow and Alex Cora are prioritizing flexibility. For the pitching staff, Kyle Harrison, Zack Kelly, and Payton Tolle will be in uniform in lieu of Brennan Bernardino, Chris Murphy, and Jose De Leon. (MLB.com)
