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3 Red Sox players who will need to step up in the ALCS

By Gabrielle Starr |
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 11: Enrique Hernandez #5 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with teammates after they defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 6 to 5 during Game 4 of the American League Division Series at Fenway Park on October 11, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 11: Enrique Hernandez #5 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with teammates after they defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 6 to 5 during Game 4 of the American League Division Series at Fenway Park on October 11, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
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In case you hadn’t heard, the Boston Red Sox are going to the ALCS to face the Astros.

Yes, the same Red Sox everyone picked to finish fourth in the AL East and maybe win 80 games defeated the Yankees in the Wild Card game and the Rays 3-1 in the ALDS to advance to the pennant round.

So many Sox stepped up in the division series to get the team to this point. Tanner Houck, Nick Pivetta, Christian Vazquez, Nathan Eovaldi, Eduardo Rodriguez, Kiké Hernández, and JD ‘Ankles’ Martinez, to name a few, though baseball is almost always a team sport. (I say ‘almost’ because David Ortiz’s 2013 postseason numbers would suggest otherwise.)

However, the ALDS was exhausting. Between the pitching woes of the first two games and the extra-inning madness of Game 3, the Sox have to be thrilled to have most of the week off before the next round begins on Friday.

If they want to have a fighting chance of beating the Astros for the pennant, a few different faces need to step up next…

Xander Bogaerts needs to step up in the ALCS

The unofficial captain of the Red Sox has seven hits so far in their first five postseason games, though he went 0-for-5 in the 13-inning stress fest on Sunday evening.

For Bogaerts, it’s not so much that he hasn’t done enough so far, it’s that he needs to do more if the Sox want to win any ALCS games, let alone the pennant.

In five games in the 2018 ALCS, Bogaerts went 5-for-19 with a double, run scored, three RBI, three walks, and one strikeout against Astros pitchers. The year before, in four ALDS games, Bogaerts’ only hit in 17 at-bats against the Astros was a home run.

Overall, Bogaerts isn’t much of a postseason hitter. In 38 career postseason games dating back to his rookie season, he has a .239/.320/.381 line and .701 OPS, with only five doubles, a triple, four home runs, 22 runs scored, and 14 RBI.

Compared to his regular-season career numbers (.290/.353/.459, .812 OPS), these October numbers are not enough to get the Red Sox where they want to go.

Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /

Hunter Renfroe needs to step up for the Red Sox in the ALCS

Hunter Renfroe has at least one hit in every postseason game so far but will need to bring more to the table as the stakes get higher.

As a member of the Rays in 2020, Renfroe faced the Astros in four ALCS games. He went 2-for-9 with a double and two RBI, but also struck out six times. In his career against the unpopular team, he’s hit .211/.268.342 with a .610 OPS over 10 games.

Of his 128 career home runs, only one has come against the Astros, though he does have three against one of their pitchers, Zack Greinke, tied for the most he has against any MLB pitcher.

Over the first five games of this October run, Renfroe has six hits in 20 at-bats, but only one of them was for extra bases. His plate discipline has been pretty solid; he’s walked three times and struck out four times.

With one of the most potent offenses in baseball, the Astros have scored six or more runs in each game of the ALDS – even their sole loss – and nine or more in two of the three. The Red Sox have scored six or more runs in four of their five postseason games dating back to their 6-2 win over the Yankees in the Wild Card game but will need all hands on deck if they want to have a fighting chance.

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Chris Sale needs to step up for the Red Sox in the ALCS

Last but not least, the big one.

After an ALDS that tired out pretty much every Sox pitcher, the Sox will definitely need Chris Sale to come up big in the next round.

Unfortunately, Sale is developing a postseason narrative, and it’s more David Price than Pedro Martinez. Dating back to the 2017 ALDS, Sale has struggled in every one of the postseason starts he’s made. His only scoreless appearances have come in relief.

In the regular season, Sale has a 3.03 ERA over 321 games in 11 seasons. In eight postseason games, he has a 7.27 ERA.

On Friday night, Sale’s start lasted exactly one inning, and he gave up five earned runs on four hits, including a grand slam. He walked one batter and struck out two, but he cost his team their 2-0 lead and left them with a 5-2 deficit to overcome.

Sale had the worst start of his postseason career against the Astros. In his October debut in Game 1 of the 2017 ALDS, Sale gave up seven earned runs on nine hits in five innings. Jose Altuve homered three times in that game.

In the 2018 ALCS, he faced them once again. He allowed two earned runs on one hit in four innings but walked a postseason career-high four batters. The Red Sox lost both of those games.

After Friday night’s one-inning debacle, it wouldn’t matter who the Red Sox’ ALCS opponent is; Sale needs to step up.

Next. Nick Pivetta’s ALDS heroics reminiscent of 2018 Nathan Eovaldi. dark

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