Red Sox Series Preview: Vs. Blue Jays

Apr 19, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Two fans show off their Toronto Blue Jays right fielder

(19) bobblehead dolls during batting practice before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Ah, the wonderful neighbors to the north!

The Toronto Blue Jays (9-10) come into town to face the Boston Red Sox (10-9), in what looks to be a fairly interesting matchup. Both teams are coming off of multi-game losing streaks, and will want to rectify their situations immediately, so as not to fall behind the American League East leaders.

Let’s look at the tale of the tape:

Apr 22, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher

(41) throws a pitch during the first inning in a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Pitching Matchups @ Fenway Park:

April 27th @ 6:10 PM ET;

• Aaron Sanchez (1-2, 5.14 ERA) vs. Joe Kelly (1-0, 4.08 ERA)
• Don’t let the ERA fool you; Sanchez is the real deal of young talent. He has been hit a lot and has walked a lot of batters, yet he has only given up 8 earned runs in 14 innings. If the bullpen could pitch the other 4 innings without giving up a couple runs, Sanchez could have been on the line for the win, instead of recording the losses. Kelly will have to pitch well to make sure that he bleeds less runs than Sanchez will.

April 28th @ 6:10 PM ET;

• Drew Hutchison (2-0, 5.48 ERA) vs. Clay Buchholz (1-2, 4.84 ERA)
• The battle of the two headcases. In the two previous outings before his game at home against the Orioles, Hutchison looked anything but an ace, giving up 11 runs in 9 innings on 14 hits. Then, in his most recent start, he held Baltimore to only 2 runs on 4 hits in 8 innings, making quick work of the opposing batters, like he has been the ace of the franchise for years. Buchholz should be able to relate, over the past couple seasons. The two starters will be carefully watched by their managers, as well as their fans, to see which of them will mentally bring the A-game and which one may fail at trumping the other team.

April 29th @ 6:10 PM ET;

• R.A. Dickey (0-2, 5.25 ERA) vs. Rick Porcello (1-2, 6.48 ERA)
• Pick your poison, Blue Jays and Red Sox fans. Talk about inconsistency. We have a knuckle-ball pitcher in Dickey who was recently lit up by the Tampa Bay Rays for 7 runs on 9 hits in only 4.2 innings, who hit a batter and had a passed ball by his most reliable catcher Josh Thole, who supposedly knows how to catch him better than anyone in the league. Then, with Porcello, you have a starter who can’t seem to find a groove to keep teams off of the scoreboard, giving up 15 runs on 22 hits in his last 19 innings. Could be some big scores put up that night.

Apr 24, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman

(15) singles during the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Red Sox Key Players To Watch:

• Second baseman Dustin Pedroia is the one leader you think of, at least after designated hitter David Ortiz. While Big Papi sometimes allows his grin to fade into rage, Pedroia’s feisty attitude stays consistent, which is much like his play of late. He has quietly hit .267, with 4 home runs and 9 RBIs, while earning 8 walks to keep innings alive for his team. The little big man, at 5-foot-9, will need to rally the troops both with his words and his steady play, as the Red Sox try to mount a comeback from their last drubbing in Baltimore.

• After a tiny bit of a dry spell, left fielder Hanley Ramirez made Red Sox Nation take notice as of how quickly that he can turn fortunes around. He hit 2 home runs and 4 RBIs in the humiliating defeat against the Orioles, salvaging some, if small, pride. Ramirez is hitting .300 with 17 RBIs for the season. Look for Han-Ram to punish Blue Jays pitching that has dwindled from an early season uprising.

• Brock Holt. The little lightning bolt of energy has been on fire so much, as of late, that the Orioles felt the need to walk him three times, limiting the amount of damage that he could cause. Holt’s hitting .457 with a home run and 8 RBIs in only 11 games. He has been absolutely driving the ball with his .600 slugging percentage around the diamond, which will cause mayhem for any Blue Jays’ pitcher foolish enough to take him lightly.

Apr 26, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman

(48) celebrates as he run the bases on designated hitter Hanley Ramirez (not pictured) home run in the ninth inning off Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher

(not pictured) at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Predictions:

• Game One Winner – Boston Red Sox, in a tight battle, where both starters keep the scores low

• Game Two Winner – Toronto Blue Jays, where their ace has one more inning in him than the other one

• Game Three Winner – Boston Red Sox, in a close but completely offensive-minded affair

• Overall – Boston Red Sox will win 2 out of 3 games

The real ace for the Blue Jays will be catcher Russell Martin, the three-time All-Star who joined Toronto in the off-season. His steadying influence on Hutchison should keep the ace less rattled than Buchholz, if things start to go downhill for the two starters.

There is nothing to say that the pitching will be there for the Red Sox, but the same can be said for the Blue Jays in the later innings. If Toronto keeps putting Brett Cecil out there in relief, having earned a 7.20 ERA from 6 hits, 4 runs, 2 walks, a hit-batsman, and a blown save in only 5 innings of work, the Red Sox will always be in the same, still. If the Blue Jays start using their bullpen prospect Roberto Osuna more often, who has only given up an earned run on 6 hits and 12 strikeouts in 10.1 innings, then the Red Sox may never be able to come back from a deficit in the series.

Either way, it’s about time that the Red Sox big names start playing like their potential says that they would, or at least their paychecks do. Time to show some pride in the club that believed so much in their services to give them the contracts they recently signed.

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