The Boston Red Sox travel to Cleveland to open up the best of five American League Division Series with The Indians Thursday night. Boston took 4 of 6 regular season contests with Cleveland, including 2 of 3 at Jacob’s Field.
Red Sox manager John Farrell appeared to prioritize resting key players over securing the 2nd seed, and home field advantage. Boston dropped 5 of 6 games to close the season as The Indians swept The Royals in their final three games, edging out The Red Sox for the No. 2 seed by 1.5 games.
The Tribe, led by former Boston manager Terry Francona, have been noticeably better at home this season as they finished 25 games over .500 (53-28) vs. just 2 games over (41-39) on the road. Boston however, has been far more consistent as their (47-34) home record is a near mirror image of their (46-34) record away from Fenway Park.
Pitching Match-Up:
Cleveland will send Trevor Bauer to the hill. Bauer (12-8) enters with a 4.26 ERA, and 1.31 WHIP on the season.
Bauer made one start vs. Boston this season, surrendering 4 ER over 5 innings in a losing effort. Bauer’s only other appearance came in 1 inning of work on the second day of the season, where he surrendered a 2-run homer to David Ortiz.
Boston will counter with Rick Porcello. Porcello (22-4) has really found himself this season, posting a 3.15 ERA, a full point lower than his career average. Porcello pitched himself to a 22-4 record for Boston this season.
Offenses:
This series will feature two of the most potent lineups in baseball, as Cleveland’s 777 runs scored are second in The AL to only Boston’s league leading 878. Boston’s .283 AVG, and .814 OPS against right handers leads the league in both categories. The bottom line is the power depth on these rosters is too long to list.
Boston:
DH David Ortiz, CF Mookie Betts, and, 1B Hanley Ramirez have all amassed 30+ Home Runs this season combining for 99 in total. The spotlight will be on Ortiz as he continues his farewell tour and tries to add to his World Series Ring collection in his final season.
Cleveland:
For Cleveland, DH Carlos Santana and 1B Mike Napoli have provided the bulk of the power, each smacking 34 HR this season. 2B Jason Kipnis has also had a productive season, with 23 HR, a .275 AVG, and an .811 OPS.
Running Game:
The Indians 93 Stolen bases was an AL best. CF Rajai Davis led the way with 27 bags, while SS Francisco Lindor and 3B Jose Ramirez each swiped 15 bases a piece. An increased focus will be placed on the ability of Boston catcher Christian Vazquez to keep the Cleveland running game in check.
Bullpens:
Both teams will be difficult to mount a late comeback against. The Red Sox figure to go with Koji Uehara to bridge the gap to closer Craig Kimbrel who has converted 31 of 33 save opportunities this season.
Cleveland’s Cody Allen has been nearly as effective, converting 32 of 35 save opportunities, while compiling a 2.51 ERA over 68 innings.