The postseason begins on September 29, giving teams one day of rest between the end of the regular season and the start of the race. Playoff teams must plan their rotations early have the right pitchers rested and ready for the opening series and the Boston Red Sox have seemingly made their call.
The Red Sox's rotation for their upcoming matchup with the Cleveland Guardians, their second-to-last series of the year, is Payton Tolle in game one, Sonny Gray in game two and Ranger Suarez in game three. That leaves Patrick Sandoval, Jake Bennett and Brayan Bello (or a bullpen game) for the final series against the Chicago Cubs, not necessarily in that order.
Tolle has earned the series-opening start against the New York Yankees. He's posted a 2.36 ERA and 0.88 WHIP with 56 strikeouts over his last seven starts. He's stayed hot despite having 143 innings on his arm this year, and he's gotten even better as the year has gone on.
Tolle has had previous success against the Yankees, including two stellar outings this year. He faced the Yankees in his first big league appearance this year and allowed just one run on three hits with 11 strikeouts and a walk over six innings. Tolle next faced New York on June 26 (one of the games in the four-game sweep that started Boston's historic summer winning streak) and he pitched seven, one-hit innings with seven strikeouts.
Red Sox-Guardians series likely previews Boston's Wild Card rotation with Payton Tolle starting Game 1
Starting Tolle first could set up a battle between two young lefties and Cy Young Award contenders (though it isn't much of a contest) if the Yankees plan to open the series with their ace Cam Schlittler. This might not be the case, though, as New York seems to be setting Gerrit Cole up for the Game 1 start. The Red Sox don't fare as well against right-handed pitching as they do against lefties, with a .712 team OPS against them, and taking Boston off its game will be a high priority for its rival.
Whether the Red Sox win or lose Game 1, Game 2 means everything. With a series loss or a sweep on the line, Boston's ace Gray should take the mound. The 36-year-old Gray has surprised fans everywhere by posting one of the best seasons of his career with the Red Sox and his consistency is unmatched.
Gray has clocked a 2.82 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 146 strikeouts and 45 walks over 163 innings. Like the Red Sox, the Yankees also don't perform especially well against righty pitching, with a .713 OPS as a club. With a sweep on the line or to stay alive, the veteran Gray is the guy to trust.
In a win-or-go-home Game 3, Suarez deserves Boston's trust. He's gotten back on his feet over the last few weeks following a shaky spell (5.70 ERA in August) after a groin injury. Postseason starts are Suarez's bread and butter — he boasts a 1.48 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over 42.2 frames across seven playoff series — and he's the best choice to keep the Red Sox alive when they're on the brink of elimination.
Boston's rotation has been the biggest strength of the team all season. With these three pitchers, in any order, the Red Sox have good chances to get past the Yankees to advance to the Division Series. But setting the energy with Tolle and having the two veterans follow, as Boston has set things up, makes a lot of sense.
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