Red Sox Series Preview: @ Oakland Athletics

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May 7, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Oakland Athletics second baseman

Brett Lawrie

(15) singles in the eighth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. The Minnesota Twins beat the Oakland Athletics 6-5. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

There ain’t no thing like a west coast swing! Say hello to the Oakland Athletics.

The Boston Red Sox (14 wins, 17 losses) continue their road trip to California and start their series with the Athletics (12 wins, 21 losses), tonight. The Red Sox have gone 3-7 in their last 10 games, including almost being swept by the Toronto Blue Jays, a division rival in the American League East. This would normally be the perfect time to get a change of scenery and play a team that they haven’t seen, especially one that is in last place in their division, like the Athletics. Oakland has also gone 3-7 in their last 10 games, including a current 5-game losing streak.

Will this series be an opportunity for the Red Sox to pick up some wins and gain ground in the AL East? Let’s look at the tale of the tape:

* All statistical information came from MLB.com, except bullpen ERA that came from ESPN.com

Pitching Matchups @ Athletics (O.co Coliseum):

May 11th @ 10:05 PM ET

Rick Porcello (3-2, 4.38 ERA) vs. Scott Kazmir (2-1, 2.75 ERA)
This matchup looks to be a very interesting one, after recent starts for both men. After a slow start to the season, Porcello has only allowed a run in 14 innings of work, 7 innings in each of the last two appearances. He has 12 strikeouts in that span. Kazmir, formerly of the Tampa Bay Rays, the Red Sox division rival, had a great start to 2015; however, in his last 2 starts, Kazmir has allowed 9 runs in 12 innings. Each appearance lasted 6 innings for the lefty starter. Which performance will each man have on the mound tonight?

May 12th @ 10:05 PM ET

Justin Masterson (2-1, 5.18 ERA) vs. Drew Pomeranz (1-3, 5.12 ERA)
Much like tonight’s matchup, this head-to-head also has much in terms of possibilities and interest. Both men get touched up by opposing bats, as the lefty Pomeranz was hit 11 times in 9.2 innings, recently, while the righty Masterson was hit 13 times in his last 10.1 innings. Both men bleed runs, as well, due to the ball being put in play, often. Who will survive longer than the other man?

May 13th @ 10:05 PM ET

Wade Miley (1-4, 6.91 ERA) vs. Sonny Gray (4-0, 1.65 ERA)
Be afraid, Red Sox Nation. Be very afraid. It will likely be a sunny day in Oakland, but there also will be rain clouds over the heads of every Red Sox fan, that night. In home games, the righty Gray is almost untouchable this season, with a 1.16 ERA in O.co Coliseum. The only reason why his ERA is more than that is when he gave up 4 runs at the home of the Kansas City Royals, back on April 17th. Gray has only given up 9 total runs this season, while striking out 44 opposing batters. Other teams have only hit .194 as a batting average against Gray, making him a true ‘ace’ on the mound.
Miley, on the other hand, has had his lefty arm touched up for 22 runs, this season. Opposing teams are hitting .286 against him, and they earned 7 runs in his last two appearances. On grass, Miley’s ERA balloons at 9.53, while having an overall 5.59 ERA on away games. Unless the Red Sox bats solve the Gray code, it should be lights out for Boston.

May 9, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox third baseman

Pablo Sandoval

(48) and Boston Red Sox left fielder

Hanley Ramirez

(13) during batting practice before a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Red Sox Key Players To Watch:

As far as hitting goes, it’s not like there are many players to choose from on the Red Sox lineup who are raking out there. Center fielder Mookie Betts is arguably playing the best baseball on the team, in the last 7 days. He’s hitting .333, with 3 home runs and 3 RBIs. Pretty consistent. All of the pitches that he hits are absolutely drilled, earning a .905 slugging percentage, suggesting that he sees them like beach balls that he can punish, squarely.

Third baseman Pablo Sandoval would be next, in terms of his .278 batting average, with a home run and 2 RBIs, in the same span as Betts. He may only be hitting the ball at a .500 SLG, but he has also been contributing on defense. In the series in Toronto, Sandoval showed a lot of quickness to fielding short balls, including bunts, with nimble feet and accurate throws. Maybe a return to the west coast, where he played close to Oakland with the San Francisco Giants, will be a nice change for him. Sandoval did win 3 of the last 5 World Series championships out there.

Left fielder Hanley Ramirez has cooled off, as of May 1st, after a red-hot April. He has hit 10 home runs and 22 RBIs this season, but he has failed to cash a runner on base for the last 6 games. Still, this cooling period came around the same time as his injury to his power shoulder came, after ramming into the left field foul wall in Fenway Park. His numbers could be the result of his shoulder still bothering him, but Ramirez will need to turn the corner against two lefty Oakland pitchers, as Han-Ram has hit .421 against left-handed pitchers, this season.

May 2, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Oakland Athletics designated hitter

Billy Butler

(16) bats against the Texas Rangers during the game at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Rangers defeated the Athletics 8-7. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Athletics Key Players To Watch:

After making the move from Kansas City, designated hitter Billy Butler has had a slow start to 2015, hitting .254 as a batting average. However, in his last 7 games, he has hit 6 times for 4 RBIs, to lead the team in that span. The wily veteran’s slugging percentage is fairly low, even in these appearances (.280), but he could be a dangerous man to watch, if the last few days are a sign that he’s heating up.

Catcher Stephen Vogt leads the team in both batting average (.340) and RBIs (26). With 8 home runs and a .660 slugging percentage, the Red Sox will want to keep the bases clear, to limit the damage that Vogt can do with his lefty bat. He will be facing two righty starting pitchers in this series, which could spell trouble for Boston.

A familiar face to Red Sox Nation, right fielder Josh Reddick has had a good start to his season, and could spell trouble to his former team. He is hitting .316, with 5 home runs and 22 RBIs, so far. Those are the kind of numbers that Boston would have loved to see from their right fielder, if they had an everyday fielder in that location who could stay healthy or consistent. Reddick is also a lefty bat, spelling even more trouble for the Red Sox righty pitchers, considering he has hit .478 at home and .342 against right-handed pitching.

May 10, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox third base Pable Sandoval (48) celebrates with short stop

Xander Bogaerts

(2) his two run homer in the fifth inning against Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports

Predictions:

Game One Winner – Boston Red Sox, as Porcello will continue to shine for the Red Sox, turning a corner in his career in Boston.
Game Two Winner – Boston Red Sox, as Masterson will be hit often, but will not be scored on as often as Pomeranz.
Game Three Winner – Oakland Athletics. Gray will dominate, with a Red Sox lineup that has struggled to prove that they are an elite lineup, this season. With Miley bleeding runs, Gray could give up 3 runs and still win the game.

These predictions are based on the considerations of the pitching matchups. If everything goes by the way they look on paper, there should be a clear winner for each game. However, if both teams have to go to their bullpens early, any of these games are winnable for either team. Let’s face it: when Oakland’s bullpen ERA was so bad (5.16) that they traded for Edward Mujica to be part of the solution, after Boston just lost faith in him and their own bullpen (3.90 ERA), anything could happen.

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