An epic three-game set is about to take place at Yankee Stadium between the top two teams in the game of baseball, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Guys, this is going to be fun.
Normally, the matchups between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees come in some sort of David vs. Goliath form (based on each’s long-standing history). For this specific late-June matchup in 2018, it is instead Goliath vs. Goliath and it is going to be a whole lot of primetime fun.
Both teams enter Friday night 6-4 over their last 10 games and are looking to create some space in a crowded American League East. The Yankees are coming off a recent loss to the Philadelphia Phillies while the Red Sox are riding a three-game winning streak.
And both teams will butt heads in the Bronx in what looks to be a muggy, steamy Bronx weekend.
So let’s bring it on. Let’s take a look at these two squads and what they’re bringing to the table in this upcoming clash in the Bronx.
Starting pitching:
Friday night will feature two starters on the opposite end of the spectrum. The Yankees will send 37-year-old CC Sabathia to the mound after his shortest start since May 29. Sabathia gave up two runs in 5.1 innings pitched against the Tampa Bay Rays while allowing nine hits. Sabathia’s first start of the year against the Sox did not go so favorably as he labored through four innings while allowing four runs on nine hits.
Toeing the rubber against the hefty lefty will be 25-year-old Eduardo Rodriguez, the underrated ace of the Sox rotation. Rodriguez is 9-2 on the season and has already dominated the Yankees earlier in the season. However, Rodriguez is coming off of a difficult start against the Seattle Mariners and the Yankees are hoping that performance will carry over to Friday night.
Saturday evening will feature lefty Chris Sale facing off against Sonny Gray in the Bronx. While Sale has not been quite as dominant as he was last season, he has picked it up immensely in the past month. In fact, out of his 17 starts on the season, only four of them were fewer than six innings.
Gray has struggled for the majority of the season, posting a 5-5 record on the year. However, in his last 16.2 innings pitched, he has allowed 10 earned runs and that is a tough stretch to get over.
That leaves Sunday for what could potentially be a deciding game in this series. And that is when the Yankees will get to face off against their old foe David Price, pending Fortnite. Price is putting together a solid year in Boston, going 9-5 with a 3.66 ERA. Price is coming off of a solid six-inning, five-hit performance against the Los Angeles Angels.
His counterpart will be the ace we love to see in Luis Severino. Sevy sits at 12-2 on the season but has yet to earn a victory over the Red Sox in two starts in 2018. This will be a battle on Sunday Night Baseball, one well worth the watch.
Sox Offense:
The Bombers and the Sox are two juggernauts offensively and will look to continue that in their series against each other. However, with our luck, the games will probably be pitching duels that are decided by one run each.
The Red Sox own MLB’s best batting average as a team and they have several league leaders in various offensive categories, starting with J.D. Martinez and his league-leading 25 home runs.
With Martinez on a hot streak and riding into the Bronx, the short porch in right is going to be his best friend and the Yankees’ worst enemy. In the last week alone, Martinez is batting .448 with three home runs and nine RBI. Overall, Martinez has a .329 batting average and a mind-blowing 64 RBI.
In the last seven days, the Sox have five players hitting over .300, including Jackie Bradley Jr., Eduardo Nunez and Rafael Devers. That could spell a problem for the Yankees.
Yankees Offense:
Oh, but we can’t forget about the Bombers … it’s in their name. The Yankees have 127 home runs this season, by far the best in the league. They are looking to add to that total in their home park, where they have crushed 67 home runs.
Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez might not be in top form but a few other Yankees have stepped up and look to continue that streak against this Boston rotation. Perhaps the most important one is Giancarlo Stanton, who is batting .417 with a .481 OBP. Oh, and Stanton will be facing three lefty starters so the odds are in his favor.
On the season, Stanton is batting .351 with 10 home runs against left-handed pitchers. Maybe it’s officially time for him to break out in a big way. Besides, he also has faced the Sox in six games this year and destroyed their pitching, recording the most hits (11) against any team so far.
On the other hand, Aaron Hicks and Didi Gregorius are heating up as well. If the Yankees can get back on track, this series will be a piece of cake.
Friday night kicks off a pretty stellar weekend when it comes to baseball. June baseball between two of the best teams in baseball who also happen to be intense rivals. Guys, we’re in for a treat.
So curl up on the couch, grab a cold drink and settle in. We’re in for one good-old fashioned New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox AL East ride.
