Game 158 Preview: Red Sox at Yankees



The Red Sox look to forget about last night's loss and lock up the division tonight in New York. The Sox have Clay Buchholz (8-10 5.00) starting which seems to be fitting as to how this season has been so bumpy, Buchholz gets the chance to nail down a spot in the playoff rotation. Of course, a Blue Jays loss can also solidify the Sox winning their 8th Division title, but Buchholz, who is surprisingly 4-0 in his last 5 starts would love to keep his recent momentum going. He's owned a couple of Yankee hitters; Mark Teixeira and Brett Gardner are hitting a combined .206 against him.

Bryan Mitchell (1-2 4.50) will be the starter the Yankees throw out, who makes just his 5th start of the year. Somehow, the Bronx Bombers still have a shot at the Wild Card, however it would mean they would need to win their final 5 games. Gary Sanchez hit his 20th homer of the season last night, continuing his incredible power performance since being called up in early August. They will need a lot more help from teams in front of them in the Wild Card race in order to get the final playoff spot.

Here is tonight's Red Sox lineup:

Pedroia (2B)
Bogaerts (SS)
Ortiz (DH)
Betts (RF)
Ramirez (1B)
Bradley Jr (CF)
Holt (3B)
Benintendi (LF)
Leon (C)


Quick Hits:

- The Red Sox magic number to clinch the division is still 1, a Sox win or a Blue Jays loss will clinch the Division
- Xander Bogaerts is 3/6 against Mitchell with two doubles and a homer
- Buchholz is 6-9 with a 5.99 ERA in 19 appearances, 18 starts against the Yankees.

Have a question for Mike during the game or whenever a baseball discussion is going on, reach out via Twitter: @86flynn