Red Sox Take 2 of 3 in the Bronx, 9-Game Home-stand Awaits
By Adam Nazzaro
Things are looking up for the Boston Red Sox.
The Boston Red Sox concluded their three-game series with the New York Yankees Sunday night as they were out-dueled 3-1 by the Bronx Bombers. Although, the Red Sox took the first two games of the series (Friday and Saturday) with fantastic pitching performances by RHP Steven Wright and LHP Eduardo Rodriguez. The Red Sox have now won 6 of their last 7 games, dating back to before the All-Star Break. Here are some positives we can take out of this opening series if the second half of the season, and some things the BoSox might want to leave behind.
Longshot-Leon
Boston Red Sox C Sandy Leon was much of an after thought going into the 2016 campaign, he was stuck in Pawtucket behind two young big studs in Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart. Due to Vazquez’s offensive struggles, Leon got a chance with the big club and he hasn’t looked back since. The 27-year old veteran is batting an astonishing .452 in 67 at bats, including a 2-for-4 HR, 4 RBI performance against the Yankees Saturday afternoon, in a 5-3 victory.
Rodriguez returned Saturday afternoon against the New York Yankees, and had himself an outing. He went 7 innings only allowing a lone earned run on 4 hits, the first quality start of the season for Rodriguez. There was a lot of controversy on his approach to batters when sending him to down to AAA, but with a few tweaks including raising his arms when in the stretch truly propelled Rodriguez to throw harder and be more efficient in Saturday’s outing.
“Early on he got into a good rhythm,” Farrell said. “They were extremely aggressive. A lot of early outs. He was able to settle into a good comfort level. When he did use his slider, it had much better depth than what we’ve seen in the past.”
As I said, Rodriguez was one of the top Red Sox starters in 2015, and he agreed that it felt like last year all over again. “Yeah. Everything is going good now,” he said, adding he didn’t think about tipping pitches after making some adjustments with his glove. “Not thinking at all if I was tipping. My slider is much better. I can locate it for strikes. I used it a lot. I’m not thinking mechanics, I’m just throwing it. Throw strikes and get better and better every day. ”He added, “After being in Triple A and have a game like that, it was great.” The lefty will throw again Friday night against the Minnesota Twins, where he looks to build more confidence he built from Saturday afternoon.
“Worth The Price?”
Boston Red Sox LHP David Price picked up the loss Sunday night in a 3-1 defeat against the New York Yankees. The recently acquired $31 million dollar man went 5.2 innings allowed 3 earned runs on 11 HITS and only struck out one. I understand you can’t win a ball game when the bats go cold, but the fact that Price once again didn’t show up in a big game (Sunday Night Baseball vs. Yankees) terrifies me.
This guy was supposed to be a stud who we wouldn’t have to worry about because he “brings it” every time he goes out there, but Price has definitely been a disappointment this season (9-7 4.36 ERA). I was expecting Price to be someone who could come into Boston and take this rotation to the top that players like Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, and of course Pedro Martinez have done for this franchise to help win championships.
My faith is absolutely not gone on Price, the Tennessean has brought dominance and promise in his first six seasons as a big leaguer and I expect him to catch his ground and help this team get to October baseball. My only fear is if this kind of production continues to happen in big games for the left-hander, will he be hated on by SoxNation such as guys like Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez enough to completely pack up and sail out because that’s not what anyone is the Boston area wants to happen. I think the Price will be worth it in the end.
Whats on Tap?
The club opens up a 9-game home-stand Tuesday night, the Red Sox open up a two-game set against the San Francisco Giants in an Interleague matchup. Then come the Minnesota Twins for a four-game set for the weekend, concluding the 9-game stretch will be against the Detroit Tigers in a 3-game series that begins next week. The Red Sox look to gain ground in the AL East with these upcoming 9 games, only trailing the Baltimore Orioles by 2 games going into Monday night.
Next: With Yankees Reeling, Red Sox Overtaking New York Market
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