Red Sox Recap: Headhunting

It was actually closer than this makes it look

      Before we get to the actual games this week, I have to address the controversy in Baltimore over the weekend. On Friday, Orioles superstud Manny Machado took out Dustin Pedroia with a spikes up slide into Petey's leg. 

Missed the base there dickhead

   Dustin was injured on the play, and hasn't returned to the field since. He is day-to-day pending further evaluation in Boston. Pedroia said after the game that he didn't have a problem with what Machado did, and also, "I've turned the best double play in the Major Leagues for 11 years. I don't need the fuckin rule" to protect middle infielders. Petey is the man.

   Two days later, Matt Barnes threw a 97 MPH fastball at Machado's earhole. Manny was obviously pissed, and TV cameras caught Pedroia apologizing to Machado from the Red Sox dugout, saying he didn't ask for the pitch. Afterwards, Barnes got suspended 4 games for his clear attempt to assassinate one of the best players in MLB. Honestly, I thought that Machado's slide was dirty and merited a response. It was late in a game the Orioles were already winning, and clearly spikes up into Petey's leg. I have no problem with drilling him, but you can't wait two days and then try to kill the guy with a freaking missile at his domepiece. Put one in his ribs in his next at-bat after the slide and move on like responsible adults. Now, on to the....

Results

Rays 3-4 Red Sox                                               Red Sox 0-2 Orioles

Red Sox 8-7 Blue Jays                                       Red Sox 2-4 Orioles

Red Sox 0-3 Blue Jays                                       Red Sox 6-2 Orioles

Red Sox 4-1 Blue Jays                                                                        

Week: 4-3

Season: 11-8, 2 GB in the East

      The Sox started off the week strong, winning the finale against the Rays and taking 2 of 3 in Canada. The Blue Jays finished that series with a record of 3-12, but they aren't going to be terrible like this all season. They have too much talent to not get going at some point, so its important to beat them up now while they're struggling. The series finale on Thursday was particularly exciting, as Chris Sale dominated yet again with 8.0 innings, 0 runs and 13 Ks. The Sox scored the first run of the game in the top of the 9th, only to see Kimbrel give up a homer to the first batter he faced in the bottom half. Luckily, Mookie Betts saved the day in the 10th with a 3 run double, and the Sox avoided wasting another Sale gem. Sale now has a 0.91 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 29 innings. Little tidbit for you: 19 of those Ks have been on his slider, making it an absolutely elite finishing pitch. In general, the Sox got solid starting pitching out of the entire rotation this week... except for Steven Wright, who couldn't get out of the 4th inning without giving up multiple homers, again. He looks like the obvious choice to ax when/if David Price returns. 

Still don't see the Pedro comp though

   On the flip side, Boston had a major offensive slump towards the end of the week. They were shut out in the 2nd game in Toronto, and didn't score until the 9th of the finale. Then they got shut out and only managed 2 runs in the losses against Baltimore. These random slumps are going to happen to even the best offenses, so it was nice to see them break out with 3 HR against Kevin Gausman on Sunday. Pablo Sandoval currently leads the team in bombs with 3, so it would be nice to see some of our actually good players changing that in the near future. 

Hero of the Week

     Mookie Betts will be a regular feature in this space. He led the team with 8 RBI this week, hit two jacks, and added a game winning hit for good measure. He did strike out 3 times, bringing his season total to... 3. He's the best player in one of the best lineups in baseball. 

Honorable Mention: Andrew Benintendi 

The youngest Killer B hit .429 this week, raising his numbers on the season to .347/.415/.829. He's also a 22 year old rookie.

Goat of the Week

     Gotta be Matt Barnes. In addition to his bullshit with Machado, Barnes gave up 4 runs in 2.2 innings of terrible relief pitching this week. At least he won't be fucking up any of the next 4 games while he sits in the corner of shame. 

Dishonorable Mention: Steven Wright 

At this point, it seems like Wright can't even take a shit without it going long on him. 

Looking Ahead

Red Sox host the Yankees for 3 and then the World Series Champion Chicago Cubs will be in town over the weekend. Huuuuge week for the boys, with the first look at the young New York team and then a chance to take on the best. 3-3 is probably a fair expectation.