Red Sox vs. Royals Series Preview
Can the Red Sox rekindle their offense against a subpar Royals team?
The Boston Red Sox (20-7) host the Kansas City Royals (7-20) for a three-game series in Fenway. Both teams are headed in opposite directions as a franchise in 2018.
The Red Sox have sputtered since they arrived in Oakland. They lost two out of three against the A’s, rebounded to win two out of three against the Blue Jays and then came home and lost an ugly, sloppy series to the Rays. Still, the Red Sox are 20-7, have a healthy Xander Bogaerts back and may soon welcome Dustin Pedroia back, too.
It seemed like the Red Sox were scoring seven-eight-nine runs per game for a stretch earlier this season. While we all knew it wouldn’t last, not many of us thought the Red Sox bats would go this cold.
Since their 7-3 victory against the A’s, The Red Sox have scored five or more runs twice in eight games. These numbers aren’t awful, and may be a bit skewed with Bogaerts’ injury, but the Sox clearly scuffling — minus Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez. The offensive struggles have caused the Red Sox to drop five of their last nine.
Meanwhile, the Royals haven’t shown any royalty thus far, losing six of their last 10. Late inning heroics salvaged a series split against the White Sox, though the Royals still sit dead-last in the AL Central.
Pitching Matchups
Monday, April 30 at 7:10 PM Eduardo Rodriguez (3-0, 3.63 ERA ) vs. Jason Hammel (0-2, 3.38 ERA)
Tuesday, May 1 at 7:10 PM Chris Sale (2-1, 2.31 ERA) vs. Jakob Junis (3-2, 3.34 ERA)
Wednesday, May 2 at 1:05 PM€“ Drew Pomeranz (0-1, 7.27 ERA) vs. Danny Duffy (0-3, 5.40 ERA)
Series Notes
- Rodriguez has won his last three starts.
- E-Rod is 1-1 with a 4.98 ERA in four career starts against the Royals.
- Opponents are hitting .203 against Sale this season.
- Junis looks to rebound after surrendering a career-high five home runs, in 5 2/3 innings.
- While the long ball has plagued Pomeranz, he has never given up a HR to any batter in the Royals lineup.
- Betts, Bogaerts, Martinez and Hanley Ramirez all have home runs off Duffy, while Jackie Bradley Jr. is hitting .429 off the lefty.
- Eduardo Nunez‘s bat has been silenced since his hot start to the season. He’s batting .239 with an OPS of .659, which is third worst in the starting lineup.
- Rafael Devers must cut down his high strike out rate. He’s struck out 30 times this season, which is second highest on the team.
Three Keys To Victory
- Starting pitching: While Red Sox pitching hasn’t been awful, the starters haven’t been outstanding, either. The starters have given up at least three or more runs since April 19 against the Angels. The Royals offense isn’t very dangerous and the Sox starters could use this series as an opportunity to get back on track. Will E-Rod continue to improve? Will Sale turn in a dominant performance? Can Pomeranz finally keep the ball in the yard?
- Offense: The Royals starters aren’t push-overs, but the Red Sox aren’t facing aces. The offense needs to step up after a lackluster showing against the Rays over the weekend. Look for the Sox bats to heat up with warm weather expected to sweep Fenway this week.
- Preserving Craig Kimbrel in the first game: Craig Kimbrel earned his first win of the season yesterday after pitching an 1 1/3 innings with 26 pitches thrown. If the Sox offense can give the team a cushion for the ninth inning, Kimbrel won’t have to pitch, thus keeping him fresh for the series.
Next: The Red Sox offensive abyss at catching
Check back with BoSox Injection prior to the start of every Red Sox series this season for our preview!