In a late-season interleague series, the Red Sox travel to Flushing, New York, to take on the Mets at Citi Field this weekend.
The Red Sox enter the weekend set in last place in the AL East with a record of 58-69. The Sox are 13 games behind division-leading Toronto but have played improved baseball as of late. The team is 6-4 in its last 10 games as the offense has heated up.
After the recent stretch of run production, the Sox rank third in the AL in runs scored on the season. It would stand to reason that so many runs would equate to more wins, but for the fact that the Sox rank dead last in the American League with a 4.54 ERA. The team still owns a minus-41 run differential despite the solid offensive output.
The only team that has matched Boston’s recent offensive production resides in Queens. The Mets have scored more runs (155) in the month of August than any other team in baseball. Teamed with their impressive pitching staff, the Mets have leaped to a solid 6 1/2 game lead over the Nationals in the NL East. In August the Mets have a record of 18-6. The team owns a 71-56 record overall, having won eight of its past 10 games, including seven straight.
New York is coming off a four-game series sweep of the Phillies, including a 9-5 victory in 13 innings on Thursday night that featured a memorable defensive play (in above video). Third baseman and captain David Wright came off the 60-day DL on Monday and has played well in his first four games back on a big-league diamond.
“It’s not just getting the wins,” Wright said after Thursday’s victory. “Obviously, that’s the most important thing. But the way that we’re winning, we’re never out of a game.”
The Mets have knocked a league-leading 43 homers since the trade deadline and rank third in baseball with a .276 team average. Their team OPS of .844 in August is tops in the NL. In the season’s first half, the Mets were 28th best in baseball in runs scored and dead last in team batting average.
Prior to the trade deadline, the Mets acquired such bats as Yoenis Cespedes, Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson. The offensive resurgence has been a result of numerous factors — the newcomers, and Cespedes in particular, have produced well since joining the team. Also, not unlike the Red Sox, each of the team’s hitters seemingly has improved almost simultaneously.
For the Mets, the starting rotation has been the foundation of the team all season. New York owns a 3.29 ERA, third best in all of baseball. In Noah Syndergaard (22 years old), Matt Harvey (26) and Jacob deGrom (27), the Mets own three of baseball’s most impressive young starters. Each of the three sports an ERA below 3.20, and the Sox this weekend have the misfortune of facing those three. Add in Bartolo Colon and Jon Niese, plus the injured Steven Matz, and the Mets have a rotation that should frighten the rest of the NL both now and for years to come.
Here are the pitching matchups for the series:
Friday: Henry Owens (2-1, 4.50 ERA) vs. Matt Harvey (11-7, 2.57 ERA)
Saturday: Joe Kelly (7-6, 5.18 ERA) vs. Jacob deGrom (12-6, 2.29 ERA)
Sunday: Wade Miley (10-10, 4.51 ERA) vs. Noah Syndergaard (8-6, 3.19 ERA)
WHO’S HOT: RED SOX
— At what point does it become redundant to feature Xander Bogaerts under this heading? The shortstop has performed as well as (if not better than) anyone at his position in the AL all season, and recent days have been no different. Bogaerts is hitting .370 over the past week and .326 in August, pushing his average on the season to .315, good for fifth in the American League.
— Jackie Bradley Jr. seems to finally have figured out how to hit at the major league level. Since Aug. 9, the defensive whiz is slashing .408/.463/.918. You read that correctly, Bradley Jr. is indeed slugging above .900, having mashed seven doubles, three triples and four homers over just his past 15 games. His season average (in 39 contests) is up to a much more respectable .252 after dipping as low as .102 on Aug. 5.
— Travis Shaw has filled in admirably at first base since the trade of Mike Napoli. Shaw has hit .333 in the month of August, knocking seven homers with 16 RBIs in just 21 games (this after touching ’em all five times in 77 games at Triple-A Pawtucket). On the season, Shaw has had five stints with the big league club and is hitting .312.
— This section usually is limited to three players, but the recent contributions from all corners of the Red Sox offense merit mention. As a team, the Sox are hitting a remarkable .305 in August. They’ve scored the most runs in the AL this month and, on the year, are up to third in the league in runs scored. Rusney Castillo (.369 with 19 RBIs in 23 games since being recalled from Pawtucket), Blake Swihart (.354 in August, up to .271 on the season), David Ortiz (.325 with six round-trippers and 18 RBIs in August) and almost every other position player have caught fire and are equally deserving of being featured here.
Yoenis Cespedes
WHO’S HOT: METS
— To paraphrase the great Bob Lobel, why can’t the Red Sox get guys like Yoenis Cespedes? The Cuban import manned left field at Fenway for the latter two months of 2014 before being dealt to the Tigers in the offseason for Rick Porcello. At the deadline this season, the Mets dealt for the All-Star (set to be a free agent this winter) and certainly have not regretted the investment. Cespedes is hitting .303 with eight homers and 23 RBIs in just 22 games for New York.
— Wilmer Flores has followed up one of the best stories and moments of this MLB season with an impressive hot-hitting stretch. On July 29, after learning mid-game of rumors that he had been traded, Flores cried while he took the field between innings. The rumors turned out to be false, Flores stuck around and immediately turned into a cult hero, hitting a walkoff homer two days later. In the entirety of the month of August, Flores certainly has enjoyed remaining a Met, hitting .324 with three homers and 12 RBIs.
— Outfielder Juan Lagares is known for his fielding prowess, but his bat has matched the impressiveness of his glove this month. He his slashing .364/.378/.636 in August and has hit two homers while tallying 11 RBIs. On the season, Lagares has brought his average up to .264.
WHO’S NOT: RED SOX
— It’s slightly harder to find Red Sox who have performed poorly of late. Unfortunately for the organization and, notably, ex-general manager Ben Cherington, the worst-hitting members of the team have been among the highest-priced ones. Hanley Ramirez has two hits in his last 23 at-bats and is hitting just .164 in August. He has struck out 12 times in 55 at-bats (22 percent) while playing his usual ugly defense in left field.
— Pablo Sandoval has hit .250 in the month of August, striking out 15 times in 19 contests. He has really only struggled as compared to his on-fire teammates, as the Panda has still managed to slug nine doubles and a pair of homers this month.
— Junichi Tazawa has not taken to closing nearly as comfortably as his Japanese countryman Koji Uehara did when thrust into the role two years ago. In the wake of Uehara’s season-ending wrist injury, Tazawa has been tasked with a tougher role at the back end of the bullpen. He has converted just three of seven save opportunities and gone 0-3 with an even 9.00 ERA in August.
Juan Uribe
WHO’S NOT: METS
— Juan Uribe joined the Mets before the trade deadline, and his heroics already have included a walkoff hit in late July. However, this month has been one to forget. Uribe has slashed just .157/.234/.386 with 22 strikeouts in 21 games in August.
— Infielder Ruben Tejada has been one of the few Mets hitters to not perform particularly well of late. In 15 August contests Tejada is hitting only .227. On the season, Tejada is hitting .253 with two homers and just 22 RBIs in 85 games.
— Pitching at the back end of the Mets’ ridiculously deep rotation, Bartolo Colon hasn’t been very solid of late. On the season, Colon owns a 4.68 ERA. In eight starts since the All-Star break, Colon is 2-4 with a 5.17 ERA and 1.43 WHIP.
