From Candy Apple to Ivy Covered Walls, Sox Face an Important Road Trip
The Sox are now 6 games back from the 1st place
Rays, and 5 back from the second
wildcard spot. After being swept by the
Nats in a series that they got outpitched, they now sit at two games under
.500, having lost 6 of their last 7 games.
Ugly. |
Since interleague play’s inception in 1997, the Sox’ .566
winning percentage is the 4th best in baseball against the opposing
league. This is usually a time where they can make up ground in the standings,
but so far they are only 2-4 against the Senior Circuit.
The Sox flew down to Miami after Sunday’s loss to start a 6
game road trip against the Marlins that could prove to be very important. They
will play in Miami’s new candy apple ballpark for three games, then travel to The
Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field in Chicago; talk about juxtaposing
ballparks.
The Marlins should not be terribly tough for the Red Sox, as
they have lost 6 straight and have had a lot of trouble scoring runs. Giancarlo
Stanton, Jose Reyes, and Hanley Ramirez are their most feared hitters, but they
do not have much offensive depth. Their starting pitching is their strength as
they are 10th in baseball in ERA and lead baseball in quality starts
(At least 6 IP, no more than 3 ER).
The Cubs have the 2nd worst record in baseball
with only 20 wins. They are 27th in runs, 26th in ERA,
and are 2-8 over their last 10 games. The Red Sox should be able to take at
least 2 of the 3 games against the Cubs and show Theo Epstein what he is
missing.
Not ugly. |
It is important that
the Sox can win at least 4 games on this road trip. The Yankees have a tough week
as they play in Atlanta against a hot Braves team and in Washington. The Rays have
an easier week as they play a struggling Mets team and the Marlins, which they
just swept; both are at home. The Sox could at least gain ground on the Yankees
this week, but if they fail to beat up on these easier teams, they really don’t
deserve to be included at the top of the AL East.