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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Red Sox baseball is back, and so am I

I

Photo Credit: Matt Stone

know it's been a while since I've done a post here, but baseball is back today, and so am I (finally). I'm like a 6-year old kid on Christmas morning at the moment. Without further ado, I'm going to get into what I think we can expect from this year's team.

The Sox are coming off a season in which they won the AL East, but crashed out of the playoffs in the first round to eventual World Series champions, the Houston Astros. This year, they come back with a new manager in Alex Cora, and a new slugger in JD Martinez. Cora's managerial experience is limited, but he was the bench coach on the Houston Astros team that won the championship last year, and Martinez is coming off a year in which he set career highs in home runs (45) and RBI's (104). Adding Martinez will hopefully add some much needed pop to a lineup that was sorely lacking in that department last year.

So, what exactly can we expect from the Red Sox? For starters, they should be aiming to win the AL East for the third consecutive year. Of course, the main competition this year will be from the Evil Empire down in New York, who added Giancarlo Stanton to an already stacked young lineup. I still expect the Red Sox to compete, though. When they're all in form, the Red Sox have one of the better starting rotations in baseball. And, while they may not have the power threats of the Yankees, the Red Sox lineup can still beat you in a multitude of different ways. Plus, Martinez should add some pop, as I mentioned above.

So, is this the year the Red Sox make a serious push towards another World Series? I believe so. I think Alex Cora is the right guy for the manager's job, and I don't think he'll let this team slide, like they have in years past. And, on paper, this is a very talented team that can beat anyone in a 5- or 7-game series come playoff time.

It all starts at 4:00 this afternoon. In the meantime, the Red Sox posted this video on their Facebook page to get us excited for the season:
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Red Sox Rumors: Buchholz on the block

Photo from Masslive

Dear Santa:

All I want for Christmas is world peace, a Red Sox World Series victory in 2017...and the Clay Buchholz trade rumors to come to pass. Give me those things and I'll be one happy kid for Christmas.

Love, Conor.

If you read this, Santa, you might ask why it has to be him. Fair question, and one that is fairly simple to answer, at least for me. 2 reason: First, we have a logjam in our rotation after acquiring Chris Sale earlier this week. 7 major league starters for 5 slots, and we have to drop one. This leads into reason #2: Buchholz has been inconsistent, hence why I would say deal him. He started his career so well with the no-hitter, but after that, he only really had one good stretch in the early part of 2013 when he started out 12-0. He looked like an early Cy Young candidate that year, but he got a neck injury, and he's never looked like the same guy.

So, that's why I would say deal Buchholz. I think he's mediocre at the moment, and maybe a change of scenery will benefit him and help him rediscover his early '13 form. In return, Boston will get to offload Buchholz's $13 million salary and get something in return, so win-win for both team and player. As of right now, the Red Sox are sitting near the luxury tax threshold at a $195 million payroll, per Masslive, and Dave Dombrowski doesn't want to go over, so dealing Buchholz gives the team some financial flexibility if they need to make a deadline move and bring on extra salary in the process.

So, that's why I hope Buchholz gets dealt, Santa. Satisfied? Good. Now, please make it happen. PS - a nice pair of basketball sneakers (Nike) would be great, too. I've been so very, very good this year.

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