May 13, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher
Wade Miley(20) pitches the ball against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Pitching Matchups @ Red Sox (Fenway Park)
May 19th @ 7:10 PM ET
- Yovani Gallardo (3-5, 3.94 ERA) vs. Wade Miley (2-4, 5.60 ERA)
- Gallardo’s right hand continues to throw pitches past the fifth inning, regardless of being hit often. The reason is that he keeps his team in the game. Gallardo has kept opposing teams within two or three runs in his last six starts. In that stretch, Gallardo threw six scoreless innings against the Mariners. He doesn’t show overwhelming strikeout skill, sitting down an average of just over 3 batters while giving up around five hits a game. If the Red Sox try to get on base, as opposed to trying to hit home runs every at-bat, they should have some success against Gallardo
- If Miley could stop giving out runs like it’s free coupons at the mall, the Red Sox could have even more of a chance to win. Even though he kept the Athletics, recently, from touching their run total, they still hit five times and earned four free trips to first base against Miley in just under seven innings. He gave up 13 runs in the three games before that start, including six runs in just over two innings against the Baltimore Orioles. Hopefully, for Boston, Miley can strike out enough Rangers to keep them off of the bases, as Texas is third in most strikeouts (305) in all of the American League.
May 20th @ 7:10 PM ET
- TBD vs. Joe Kelly (1-2, 5.58 ERA)
- Kelly’s last appearance, against the Mariners, was much better than the four starts before. He went into the seventh inning, allowing a single run on five hits, three walks, and two strikeouts. Kelly averaged just over 5 runs before that game. Kelly seemed to build confidence by making Seattle put the ball in play for the Red Sox defense to put them out, rather than trying to strike out the entire team by himself. Faith in his teammates should help Kelly have faith in himself.
May 21st @ 7:10 PM ET
- Wandy Rodriguez (1-2, 3.86 ERA) vs. Clay Buchholz (2-4, 4.93 ERA)
- The lefty Rodriguez has only started five games for Texas, as the Rangers have had to deal with their losing woes. His last start, a five-run drubbing against the Cleveland Indians, is not reflective of what he has done, so far this season. Rodriguez only lasted just under five innings in that game, while giving up eight hits. In three of the four games, before that defeat, Rodriguez gave up only a run per start. He has the skill to be stretched into the eighth inning; however, it’s a matter of how quick the bats get to him. Even with the small sample size, Rodriquez is more successful against right-handed batters (.188) than lefties (.320), so far. If those numbers hold true, we may need to see more of Daniel Nava in Boston’s starting lineup.
- Buchholz’s new name should be Mr. Inconsistent. He absolutely dominated the Mariners, in his last start, going eight innings with only three hits and a single run scored. He struck out 11 batters in that game. Buchholz gave up a combined 12 runs, while striking out 14 batters, in the previous three games. Instead of worrying about whether he should be the ‘ace’ or not of the team, let’s see if Buchholz can just do what he did in Seattle every time, from now on.