The Boston Red Sox are something of a rollercoaster ride…
It’s safe to say that watching them has been rather nauseating at points, as the peaks and valleys not only arise with each passing series, but with each game, inning, and pitch.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa was the perfect encapsulation of this on Monday, as he was called upon to pinch-hit for Jarren Duran in the seventh inning of an eventual 8-6 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Kiner-Falefa, whose only job was to drop down a bunt and advance the runners
on first and second, failed miserably and was eventually called out on strikes as he bunted the ball foul — which might just be the worst thing you can do in professional sports. How did he respond? That very same guy lined a two-run single into the right field gap and played what would ultimately serve as the game-winning runs.
No, seriously!
It’s like that one episode of “The Office” where Michael Scott admits during the dinner party that he had three vasectomies for Jan Levinson.
Snip-snap! Snip-snap! Snip-snap!
Does that sound fun to you?
It isn’t, which is why folks should be excited about what this week’s series against the New York Yankees represents.
The Red Sox, despite having done the exact opposite over the last several weeks, have an opportunity to find consistency in their first divisional matchup of the season.
Why?
Connelly Early, Ranger Suarez, and Brayan Bello are slated to start during the three-game set, but if the folks in charge want to get funky, they could replace the latter with Payton Tolle — who is likely to soon receive a call-up thanks to Sonny Gray hitting the injured list — and make it three consecutive left-handed starters against New York.
The Yankees probably won’t be too thrilled to face three consecutive southpaws, as they carry a significantly lower team slash line against left-handers (.185/.283/.393) than they do against right-handers (.232/.340/.417).
Roman Anthony, Masataka Yoshida (please), and Caleb Durbin should help lead the charge offensively, with all three starting to string together consistent at-bats over the weekend. Wilyer Abreu and Willson Contreras tapping back into their power alongside that trio would go a long way in helping an offense that scores either two runs or nine runs and nothing in between.
The Yankees, who boast one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, are at their worst when facing heavily left-handed lineups.
I don’t want to be the guy who gets clouded by his admiration for one team and his hatred for the other, but things have lined up rather nicely for the home side. It’s too early to call this a must-win series, but it’s about as close as you can get while still recovering from the festivities (either your hangover from watching people run or your dead legs from running yourself) of Patriot’s Day.
Alex Cora’s club is starting to get the hang of this whole small ball thing, is moving in the right direction when it comes to the pitching staff, and should be playing with unmatched desperation.
Call me dumb, but I like their chances of taking two out of three.
