Red Sox look to win the battle of the Sox
By Sean Penney
Key Hitters
Red Sox: David Ortiz
Ortiz connected on career home run No. 521 on Friday, moving him into a tie for 19th on the all-time list with Willie McCovey, Frank Thomas and the greatest hitter in Red Sox history, Ted Williams.
Big Papi is having a monster farewell season, leading the league with a 1.133 OPS. He’s also second in batting average (.342) and RBI (59), while ranking 4th in homers (18). Perhaps most impressive is that he’s tied for 6th with a 3.3 WAR, despite not having any defensive metrics to boost his value.
White Sox: Todd Frazier
The prized addition to the White Sox lineup has lived up to expectations in the power department with 19 home runs and 44 RBI. Unfortunately, his production outside of the long ball has been a disaster. Frazier enters the series batting .197 with a .744 OPS that ranks outside the top 50 in the league.
Most of the issues Frazier is having are tied to his league-low .180 batting average on balls hit in play. Typically an abnormally low BABIP is a sign of bad luck, but a career-low 14.1 percent line drive rate has been the real culprit. Frazier is certainly capable of making hard contact, but he’s doing it less often this year. The home run totals are still there, but when he’s not smashing it out of the park he’s all too often getting himself out on harmless infield flies.
Next: Options to platoon in LF
Frazier has been the ultimate feast-or-famine hitter this season, but he still poses a threat to a Red Sox pitching staff that has allowed 27 home runs this month, tied for second most in the league.