Last night in the Red Sox Spring Training game with the Yankees, Chris sale showed what he can do, and in the process, added more fuel to the fire that is the hype for the upcoming season.
Sale was on the mound for 6 innings of work, as he set down 10 by way of the K and only surrendering 2 runs. Other notables in the game were Marco Hernandez, who went 2-4 at the dish with a triple and a run scored. First baseman Sam Travis also went 2-4 with 2 RBI. The Red Sox take on the Pirates at JetBlue Park at 1:05 p.m ET on Thursday. The lineup and starting pitcher has not been announced yet.
0 Comments
Looks like I spoke too soon in the article I published a few hours ago. Bad news out of Ft. Myers this morning. David Price reportedly experienced elbow soreness after his simulated game two days ago. When asked about it Price said the discomfort was "intensified". Price had an MRI done in Ft. Myers yesterday and is slated to receive a second opinion from Dr. Andrews. Anytime a player goes to see Andrews, it's never good. We can only hope for the best but, manager John Farrell has said that this injury is something that is "definitely concerning".
We will pass along any and all information as soon as it becomes available. Well, it's been quite some time since we've published a Red Sox article. Of course, with the Patriots winning the Super Bowl, and the hype surrounding the Celtics, we've been pretty occupied. But, that's a good thing right? With the Sox back in full swing, we'll get back to covering them full time. Oh boy, is there ever a lot to talk about.
There's no shortage of action at Spring Training, with Chris Sale making his first appearance in a Red Sox uniform in a couple of weeks, David Price looking to have a dominant year, reigning Cy Young winner Rick Porcello looking to build on his amazing 2016 season. And of course, the 'Killer B's' Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, and Andrew Benintendi, the superstars of the future, looking to outbreak and show off their star power talents. With David Ortiz retiring at the end of last season, Boston is in search of a bat that can replace him. Or at least somewhat. You're not going to find that one bat that will just instantly replace Big Papi, it's just not going to happen. Instead, it's going to take a whole team effort to put up the same amount of offense as in 2016. The leader of this team now is definitely Dustin Pedroia. Entering his 12th season and turning 34 years old in August, Pedroia is closer now to the end of his playing days than the beginning. However, if he puts up the same numbers and is as productive as he was last season (.318, 15 HR, 74 RBI), he will be just fine. Mookie Betts has also emerged as the superstar of the future for Boston, putting up monster numbers in 2016 (.318, 31 HR, 113 RBI), and as much as he helped Boston with his bat, he also showed he can flash the leather in the outfield. What's amazing about Betts is, his primary position is second base, but he converted to the outfield in order to stay on the major league roster. Obviously, with second base being occupied by Pedroia, Betts had to find success elsewhere, and he found it in right field, now the everyday guy. Bleacher Report predicts Boston to finish with a record of 97-65 and win the AL East by a landslide over the Blue Jays (predicted at 86-76), and their first back to back division titles since 1915 and 1916. All in all, if the pitching holds up like it should, Boston has the ability to beat each and every team in the league. If you have good pitching, you always will have a chance to win. As for when they have to match-up with the Indians in the playoffs and then potentially the Cubs, Nationals or Giants in the World Series, each would be a hard fought, back and forth, intense series. Think about this for a second though: Sale, Price, Porcello as a 1-2-3 punch in 2017. In 2007 when the Red Sox won the World Series, they had Beckett, Matsuzaka, Schilling as their 1-2-3, and Schilling was 40 years old. Think about the damage the current 'Big 3' could do. My Prediction: Record: 93-69 (1st in AL East) Playoffs: Defeat Astros in ALDS, defeat Indians in ALCS, I won't predict the World Series. Too close to call. Follow us on Twitter @bhowesports |