“All right you guys let’s listen up. We won a game yesterday. If we win one today, that’s two in a row. We win one tomorrow, that’s called a winning streak. It has happened before.” – Lou Brown, Major League II
The Red Sox are probably very excited about the game tonight. Not only is it their first chance at a sweep since this interleague trip started, but it’s the last game of the trip as well! Once today’s game is over, we can get back to the good ol’ days of David Ortiz AND Adrian Gonzalez batting in the lineup regularly. Ortiz showed a little rust last night, but he did get a walk and an RBI, so it’s good to see him warming up. I was glad they switched him out when they did though, because Reddick hit well too. Youk also hit well, so expect him and his .271/.392/.872 line to show up in the lineup again despite soreness in his ankle. Maybe Daniel Navarro will get a start after last night, but don’t hold your breat.
Pitching Matchup: Josh Beckett (6-3, 2.20 ERA) vs. Jordan Lyles (0-3, 4.75 ERA)
Jordan Lyles is in the midst of his first major league season, and it’s not looking great for him unfortunately. Out of the 6 games he’s started, his only 3 decisions have been losses. He brings a strong 5 pitch repertoire with him (fastball, curveball, slider, cutter, changeup) and his pitch speed is a little slow but the wide selection makes up for that. That 4.75 ERA isn’t just to blame on the Astros tepid defense though. His cutter and his changeup are his best pitches, but his curveball hangs a little bit now and again and gives up too many runs. His K/9 is at an even 7.00, and I’d like to see that climb a little more before I consider him a pretty good pitcher. He also needs to drop his 1.84 Strike to Ball ratio a bit and stop issuing free passes.
Beckett’s last game maybe indicated that he still wasn’t at 100% at that illness. Before that, he had only pitched 3 games this season where he allowed 3 or more runs. Then the Phillies came out and rocked him. The Astros are a better choice for a pitcher who is still day-to-day, because even if they start to get to him, their lineup is weak enough that Beckett can fight through and strand some runners. Beckett is exceptionally good at avoiding the long ball this season, only giving up 6 home runs so far against 378 batters. His WHIP has gone up (UP!) to 0.93, and batters are only hitting .176 against him this season. This is Beckett’s game to lose today.
Keys to a victory lie in run support for Beckett and Beckett making sure that he spots his pitches a little better than the last game. Good luck and go Sox!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
