Fresh off the All-Star break, the Boston Red Sox look to keep their winning ways going with a three-game set against the Detroit Tigers.
Oh, to be in the position of the Boston Red Sox at the break.
On one hand, this is a team riding a heavy wave of positive momentum. The Red Sox collected 68 wins so far in 2018, winning 12 of their last 13 before the break.
This streak pushed their lead over the New York Yankees to 4.5 games. Sometimes, when playing like this, the last thing you want is something interrupting the momentum.
The flip side of the coin is that the break provides exactly that. Every team welcomes the four days off as a chance to rest and heal. And staying healthy is going to be big for Boston in the second-half of 2018.
Injuries piled up over the past ten days. Joining the previously injured Drew Pomeranz, Dustin Pedroia and Steven Wright were Rafael Devers, Eduardo Rodriguez and Christian Vazquez.
The bad news: Pedroia is unlikely to play again this season and Rodriguez could be looking at a mid-September return (at best).
Good news: There was no structural damage to the shoulder of Devers and he can be activated as early as July 21. And Pomeranz looked good in his most recent rehab outing, allowing only one hit in six innings of work.
Even with encouraging signs from Pomeranz, the Red Sox should be in the market for another starter. Having too many arms is usually not a bad problem to have in these grueling summer months.
For now, the Red Sox will take it one game and one series at a time, starting with the Detroit Tigers.
Continuing to rake at the plate
Not enough can be said about Boston’s performance at the plate in 2018. They are being led by a core four, all of which who have been hitting well.
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J.D. Martinez, he of 29 home runs and 80 RBI’s, sits atop this list, albeit only slightly. He’s hitting .328, trailing only Mookie Betts for the team lead. Betts is hitting .359 and has collected 20 hits in his last ten games.
Xander Bogaerts has enjoyed quite a run over the last ten games as well. Bogaerts has picked up 13 hits and 17 RBI over this span. Included in this was a walk-off grand slam against the Toronto Blue Jays, his third slam of 2018.
Andrew Benintendi — after a slow start — has been consistent as of late, collecting six multi-hit games over the last ten played. He’s also seen his average jump from .280 to .297 during this span.
Outside of these four, contributions will continue to be needed from, among others, All-Star Mitch Moreland, Brock Holt, and Jackie Bradley Jr. Bradley is hitting .268 in July with 7 doubles and 9 RBI. Which doesn’t seem like much, but for him, a definite positive for the Red Sox.
The Detroit Tigers, meanwhile, sit near the bottom of the American League in hitting. They’ve scored 386 runs and their 80 home runs are second-to-last.
Nick Castellanos has been the Tigers best hitter. With Miguel Cabrera out, Castellanos leads the team in home runs (15), RBI (56) and batting average (.305).
On the hill
Injuries and the All-Star break have mixed things up in the rotation for the season’s second half.
David Price (10-6, 4.42 ERA) will get things started on Friday, followed by Brian Johnson (1-2, 4.20 ERA) and Chris Sale (10-4, 188 K’s, 2.23 ERA).
Price is coming off a solid start (after two rocky ones). Johnson will be making his fifth start of 2018 while Sale looks to make it six straight games with 10 or more strikeouts.
The Tigers will counter with Matthew Boyd (4-8, 4.76 ERA), Mike Fiers (6-6, 3.70 ERA) and Michael Fulmer (3-9, 4.50 ERA)
Boyd has given up 25 earned runs over his last five starts. Fiers leads the Tigers in wins and Fulmer, despite his record, has pitched well since the start of June with limited run support.
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The Red Sox will stay on the road after they finish up in Detroit, heading to an A.L. East showdown with the Baltimore Orioles.