Preview: The Rivalry - 2018 Edition

Photo credit: New York Daily News

The Rivalry returns on Tuesday night. Fenway Park. Or NESN if you can't get there in person. Be there.

This year is on course to be the most intense it has been in years. Both teams have young studs in their lineup that will be superstars in this game, and both teams have high expectations for what they hope to accomplish this season, the least of which will be trying to one-up each other at the end of the season. For the Red Sox, they added a much-needed power bat in J.D. Martinez to a lineup that was near the bottom of the league in home runs last season. In the Yankees' case, they added Giancarlo Stanton to an already stacked lineup that included Aaron Judge, who hit 58 home runs last season. So, who has the edge? Let's find out!

Hitting: Right now, the Red Sox are the hottest team in baseball, hitting .245 as a team, and they have 4 guys (Hanley Ramirez, Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, and Rafael Devers) hitting above .300, while the Yankees are struggling somewhat, hitting .224 as a team. However, the Yankees do hold a 13-7 edge in home runs, and that is where they have the edge over the Sox. They have 4 guys that potentially hit 20+ home runs. 2, I already mentioned - Stanton, who is only hitting .179 at the moment (let's face it - how many people expect that to continue?), and Judge. The other 2 are Didi Gregorious (3 home runs already), and Gary Sanchez (54 last season). That middle of the order is deadly for any pitcher to navigate. However, home runs aren't everything, as the Sox have proven this year. They have roughly half the home runs and 3 more wins.

Verdict: Red Sox I give the Red Sox the slight edge here because of the myriad of ways they can beat you. So far, they can manufacture runs with the best of them this year, and I think that is the way you win baseball game. However, the Sox have to respect the danger that the Yankees lineup will pose throughout the year.

Pitching: This one is easy. The Red Sox have a whole run and a half over the Yankees in the ERA department (2.19 vs 3.64), and a much better pitching staff, at least on paper, then the Yankees. The Yankees have the Red Sox beat in strikeouts (104-78), but that is about the only edge.

Verdict: Red Sox
They have 3 Cy Young-caliber pitchers, and a bullpen that has been mostly excellent so far.

Fielding: What do I always tell you kids about how defense wins championships? Well, it's true, and as of writing this, the Red Sox have yet to make an error, while the Yankees have made 9. Will that hold for the season? That remains to be seen, but right now, the Red Sox are the better defensive team.

Verdict: Red Sox 
0 errors beats 9 errors, last time I checked.

The edge, at least at the time of writing this, goes to the Red Sox. Through 9 games, they have been the best team in baseball, and I believe that will continue.
PS - I just love that picture, don't you?

All stats from espn.com

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Best win of the season?

Photo Credit: Steven Senne/AP

Spoiler alert: Yes. Yes, it is. The only thing that would have made today better would have been if they did this against the Yankees.

Oh, so you live under a rock (or have a perfectly good excuse for missing the game) and you didn't see what happened? Let me fill you in: The Red Sox came back from a 5-run deficit against the Tampa Bay Rays in the 8th inning to win their 8th game in a row AFTER losing Xander Bogaerts, who is their hottest hitter at the moment. How did it happen? Well, it started at 7-2, with Hanley Ramirez being driven in by Mitch Moreland. After that, everything spitballed. Rafael Devers drove in 2, then Christian Vazquez drove in Devers, then Mookie Betts drove in a run, and finally, Andrew Benentendi drove in Mookie to make it 8-7. After that, Craig Kimbrel did what he does best and closed it out in the 9th.

And the best part of all of this? All of the damage came with 2 outs in the inning. It shows the fight in this team, and it sets the tone for the rest of the year. It instills an extra sense of confidence in the team that they are never out of any of the games they play. I think it also gives them extra energy as the Yankees themselves come to town, in what should be an interesting series, and one that will set the tone for the rest of the year.

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Way too Early Playoff Predictions

Now that we’ve played a few games, its time to have some fun with way too early playoff predictions, starting with the AL.

AL East- Red Sox (95-67) Yankees (94-68)*

This might be the most exciting battle, at least on paper. And I’m not just saying that because of my Red Sox bias. The Sox pitching has looked sharp for the most part, while the Yankees have the most dangerous lineup on paper. However, I always give the edge to pitching, which is why I give the edge to the Sox.

AL Central - Cleveland Indians (90-72) Minnesota Twins (85-77)
I fully expect Cleveland to dig themselves out of their current slump (2-4, 3rd in the Central) and win the division. Why? Pitching. Corey Kluber is one of the best in the business, and he’s got 2 CY Young awards to prove it.

AL West - Houston Astros (94-68) LA Angels (88-74)*
This could be another exciting race, with Shohei Otani looking like he’s worth every penny and then some. Plus Mike Trout is always fun to watch. The Angels could be dangerous this year, but they have to contend with a Houston team that retained all of their key guys from their World Series run last year, which is why I see Houston retaining the division.

Wild Card - Yankees over LA
ALDS winners - Red Sox, Houston
AL Champion - Red Sox over Houston

NL East - Washington Nationals (99-63) Mets (90-72)*
This has to be the year Washington finally makes a run. Bryce Harper is likely gone after the season, and Washington has vastly underachieved, given their level of talent, and this is the year they finally break that.

NL Central - Chicago Cubs (93-69) St. Louis (89-73)
This division is the wild card. Right now, both the Cubs & Cardinals are struggling, but they’re both too talented to keep struggling. In the end, I do give the edge to the Cubs because of experience, but it’s anyone’s guess right now.

NL West - LA Dodgers (99-63) San Francisco (93-69)*
I can’t see any other way for this to pan out. The Dodgers will win the division again, but San Fransisco adding Andrew McCutchen will make a big difference, and they’ll give the Dodgers more competition than they did last year.

Wild Card - SF over NY
NLDS winners - Washington & LA
NL Champion - Washington
WS Champion - Red Sox

*Wild Card

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5 Takeaways from the First 5 Games

Photo Credit: AP

The Red Sox have come out flying to start the season, taking 3 of 4 games against the Tampa Bay Rays and taking the series opener against the Miami Marlins last night, 7-3. So, what can we take away from the first 5 games of the season?

1. Joe Kelly needs work. Kelly is really one of the only reasons the Red Sox aren't a perfect 5-0 to start the season, and is mainly responsible for the Opening Day loss against Tampa. The team was cruising...at least until Kelly came in and gave up 4 runs in a third of an inning. He allowed 4 runs, 1 hit, and 3 walks in that third of an inning. The most striking part of that, at least for me, is the 3 walks, which tells me that he has some control issues that he has to work through. Now, to Kelly's credit, he came back and pitched a solid scoreless inning out of the pen last night, picking up his 1st big-league save in the process, but he needs a few more performances like that against better teams before I trust him. It's a long season, and one bad performance doesn't make or break a season at this stage.

2. #XGonGiveItToYa: Xander Bogaerts has been a beast out of the gate. .455 average, a home run, and 5 doubles. He's been smoking the ball out of the gate. Yes, he won't continue hitting at a near .500 clip, but if this is a sign of what's to come, I'm excited.

3. Pitching has been on point. With the exception of Joe Kelly's one bad outing in the opener, the pitching has been exceptional so far. Chris Sale struck out 9 on what looked at times to be an "off day," David Price turned in a 7 inning, 5 strikeout performance, and the bullpen has been lights out (again, with the exception of Kelly, which I talked about already). The bullpen is going to be the X-factor for the team. We already know that Craig Kimbrel (2 saves already) is one of the best closers in the game, but the key is going to be bridging the gap and getting to him with a lead intact.

4. J.D. Martinez is still adjusting. As I said earlier with Kelly, the season is a long one, and Martinez isn't the only one struggling out of the gate. He is hitting .200 with 1 RBI through 5 games, which isn't ideal for a guy the Sox just gave a $100+ contract to. Martinez is a good hitter, though, and 5 games is too small of a sample size to rush to any snap judgements, so for now, he gets the benefit of the doubt. Now, if we look up in August & September and he's still struggling, that's a different story, but I think J.D. is too good not to figure it out at some point.

5.Alex Cora is doing a good job so far. The Red Sox came out of Tampa with 3 straight 1-run wins in large part due to Cora's decision-making. Every bench player has made at least one start, and none of his starters have gotten past the 95 pitch mark, according to the Herald. It's been an "all hands on deck" approach so far, and it's paying off. He also seems to have the clubhouse on his side, which is something that may have led to John Farrell's squads not being able accomplish anything outside of 2013. Another interesting tidbit from the Herald: the Red Sox are 3-0 so far in 1-run games, which is something last year's team struggled with.

We have to put everything, good and bad, in perspective, though - it's still early, and anything can happen. We could be World Series contenders or it'll all blow up in our face. Knock on wood, but I don't think I'm alone in hoping for the former.

Stats from espn.com

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