Weekend Red Sox-Yankees series brings plenty of intriguing storylines to Fenway Park
After taking two of three from the Yankees in the Bronx last weekend, the Boston Red Sox will look to win another series against their biggest rival at Fenway Park this weekend. The rivalry certainly isn't what it used to be, but this weekend's three-game set in Boston will bring in a number of interesting plots for both sides.
The Red Sox followed up their series win in the Bronx by taking two of three against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway. Those four wins, along with the excitement from top prospect Roman Anthony being promoted to the big leagues, have given Boston a little bit of life after a mediocre-at-best start to the season.
Yet the Red Sox still trail New York by 9.5 games in the American League East. While the Red Sox took two of three from the Rays, the Yankees picked up another game on them in the standings with a three-game sweep of the Royals in Kansas City.
That big chasm between the two teams in the standings takes a little bit of the luster off the rivalry, which really hasn't had much vitriol since Joe Kelly channeled his inner Tyler Durden and started a Fight Club at Fenway way back in 2018. The two teams met in the AL Wild Card round in the 2021 postseason, which Boston won 6-2 at Fenway Park, but for the most part, Red Sox-Yankees has been just another series over the last four years.
The rivalry isn't dead, it just needs a bit of a wake-up. Another heated postseason showdown would do wonders to bring it back, but for now, we'll have to settle for an important series in June.
Taking two of three from the Yanks last weekend gave the Red Sox a spark, and we'll see if there is a little more oomph to the matchup this weekend. It will have no shortage of storylines thanks to the pitchers the Yankees will send to the mound, and how that will affect Alex Cora's lineup cards each night.
Red Sox-Yankees Pitching Matchups
Friday, 7:10 pm: Garrett Crochet (6-4, 2.35 ERA) vs. Ryan Yarbrough (3-1, 4.17 ERA)
We've got a rematch of last Saturday night in the Bronx, when Crochet got the win despite allowing five earned over his six innings. The Boston ace bounced back well after surrendering a three-run homer to Austin Wells in the second inning, as he struck our nine and got the W thanks in large part to his team scoring five runs in the third against Yarbrough.
The Red Sox tagged the New York lefty for eight runs in his four innings, including a three-run double by Trevor Story and a two-run homer by Romy Gonzalez.
Crochet has a 2.38 ERA in his six starts at Fenway this season, but has yet to win a game on his new home diamond.
Saturday, 7:15 pm: Hunter Dobbins (3-1, 4.20 ERA) vs. Carlos Rodon (8-4, 2.87)
Another rematch from last weekend, Dobbins will look to snag his second straight win against a team he really, really dislikes. The rookie gave up three runs over his five innings -- a two-run blast by Aaron Judge and a solo shot by DJ LeMahieu -- but got the win because the Boston bats got to Rodon.
Rodon, another southpaw, is having a stellar season, but the Red Sox scored five runs over his five innings, and did so on just three hits. But two of those hits went into the stands -- a two-run homer by Kristian Campbell and a three-run blast by Carlos Narvaez -- and Rodon also issued three walks.
Sunday, 1:35 pm: Brayan Bello (2-1, 3.96 ERA) vs. Max Fried (9-1, 1.84 ERA)
After failing to pitch five innings in five straight starts, Bello has gone six-plus for Boston in each of his last two times on the mound. He allowed four runs (three earned) over his 6.1 innings against the Rays on Monday, after he allowed three over six against the Angels his previous time out. Boston lost both games in extra innings.
Bello is 3-3 with a 2.54 ERA and 1.217 WHIP in eight career starts against the Yankees. Judge is just 2-for-14 against him with four strikeouts. Cody Bellinger has had success against him though, hitting a pair of homers against Bello in three career at-bats.
The Red Sox avoided Fried last weekend, but won't have that luxury this time around. New York's big free-agent acquisition has been lights out in pinstripes. His lone hiccup this season came two weeks ago when he allowed six runs in five innings against the L.A. Dodgers. Take that start out of the mix, and Fried's ERA drops to 1.30 for the season.
The big trend this weekend is that all three of New York's starters are lefties. That might mean Red Sox fans won't see Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer, according to Cora.
Will Anthony, Mayer play against Yankees lefties?
Red Sox fans are absolutely gaga over Roman Anthony's promotion to the Majors, and fellow rookie Marcelo Mayer is starting to heat up at the plate. But how much of both will we see this weekend?
The day after Anthony made his MLB debut, Cora threw some cold water on it all and said Anthony and Mayer will likely take a seat against left-handed pitchers. That's kind of a big deal given who the Yankees are throwing at Boston this season.
"The lefties here are real lefties," Cora said of the southpaws in the big leagues. "There's stuff here, especially the guys in the bullpen. I truly believe that if you've got stuff, you're gonna be here. You're not gonna be in Triple-A or Double-A. So what they see here is different.
"The kids, they understand. They know. I had a conversation with Marcelo in New York and today I talked to Roman about a lot of stuff, including pinch-hitting. They're all-in to win. We will keep doing that," added Cora.
This is not a new approach by Cora, who has done this in the past with guys like Rafael Devers, Triston Casas, and just last year with Wilyer Abreu. And with Rob Refsnyder a lefty killer throughout his career and Romy Gonzalez (who has slashed .313/.375/.520 against lefties with Boston) at his disposal, there is a smidgen of justification for Cora's thinking.
However, Anthony feasted on lefties in the minors, batting .335 against them over the last two seasons in the minors. He had a .955 OPS against left-handed pitching in Worcester this season, compared to a .879 OPS against righties.
Anthony has just one at-bat against a lefty in the Majors, and Refsnyder pinch-hit for him in the 11th inning of Monday's loss to the Rays. Only seven of Mayer's 44 at-bats in the bigs has come against southpaws, and he has just one hit and three strikeouts and no walks in those plate appearances.
While developing their youngsters should be the focus, Cora is in win-now mode and looking to protect his rookies. But there's no way Cora can sit them for three straight games after both played a hand in Red Sox wins this week. It would be a huge disservice for both.
This is a big series for Boston and a great chance for the young players to get some on-the-job training. Whether they struggle or succeed, both rookies should get an opportunity to show what they can do against some talented southpaws this weekend.
Hunter Dobbins vs. The Yankees
In one of the strangest entries into the Boston-New York rivalry, Dobbins said last weekend he would rather retire than play for the Yankees. He said his father was drafted twice by the Yankees before being traded to the Diamondbacks, and his family doesn't like the organization other than former pitcher Andy Pettitte, who was friendly with the Dobbins clan.
But the New York Post did some digging and found zero history of a Lance Dobbins being drafted or traded by the Yankees. Andy Pettitte said he had no idea who Dobbins is. The Diamondbacks also have no records of the elder Dobbins being part of the franchise.
When asked about the matter Wednesday, Dobbins shrugged it off and said he doesn't "fact check" his pop. Perhaps his dad did a little exaggerating when regaling his son with tales of his "pro" career, leading to one of the weirdest chapters of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry.
Dobbins heard it from New York fans last weekend but pitched well in enemy territory. We'll see if he can notch another win against his least-favorite MLB team on Saturday.
Carlos Narvaez vs. his old team
While Anthony, Mayer, and Campbell are seen as the Big 3 of prospects for Boston, rookie catcher Carlos Narvaez is a big reason the Red Sox are flirting with .500 and not completely in the tank. The icing on the cake is Boston got him from New York for just a minor league pitcher last December.
Narvaez was just 2-for-10 against his former team last weekend, but he hit a go-ahead three-run homer in Boston's five-homer win in the Bronx last Sunday. He also drew four walks and scored four runs over the three games, along with his usual stellar defense and framing behind the plate.
One way or another, Narvaez is going to play a big role in this series against his former squad.
The big boppers in both lineups
Have you seen Aaron Judge's numbers this year? They are absurdly ridiculous. He's slashing .392/.488/.776 with 25 homers and 59 RBI as he flirts with the AL Triple Crown. He was 6-for-13 against Boston last weekend with two homers, a double, and five RBI. He may be wearing the enemy's uniform, but appreciate every at-bat by this absolute beast of a ballplayer.
The Red Sox are enjoying a bit of a power surge themselves. Since Ceddanne Rafaela walked them off against the Angels with a 308-foot homer last Wednesday, Boston has mashed 13 home runs over its last six games, and each of them went considerably further than Rafaela's game-winner.
Rafael Devers and Trevor Story have both homered twice in that stretch, while Mayer leads all Boston batters with three jacks. (Maybe Cora should play him this weekend.) Boston beat the Yankees with five bombs last Sunday night, and then used four solo shots to beat the Rays on Wednesday.
Both of Devers' homers were against the Yankees, but he didn't swing the hottest bat against New York. That honor goes to Abraham Toro, who was 7-for-13 with three doubles and a home run last weekend. Gonzalez was 4-for-10 at the plate against New York, while Story was 5-for-13 with a double, a homer, and six RBI.
And while Campbell has been in a prolonged slump, he was 4-for-8 with a homer and four RBI against New York last weekend.
The rivalry may not be what it once was, but this weekend's Red Sox-Yankees series should still provide plenty of excitement at Fenway Park.
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