This Saturday the (72-77) Boston Red Sox and the (91-58) New York Yankees will play the third game of this four-game series. The first pitch will be thrown out at 1:05 PM EST inside Yankee Stadium. The last time these two teams matched up, the Yankees swept the Red Sox in a short two-game series. New York also took game one of this series.
The Boston Red Sox are coming into this one after splitting a two-game series with the Cincinnati Reds. The Red Sox looked great in game one, but they struggled at the plate in the final game. They could only score one run, as they will need their bats to heat up in this one.
The New York Yankees are entering this one after winning their two-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Yankee's bats were working, as they scored 23 combined runs in those two games. They will need their bats to stay hot if they want to defend Yankee Stadium in this one.&# 13;
This game was written/published before last night's results.
The Boston Red Sox are currently 5-5 in their last 1o games, as their average play has kept them from moving up in the AL Wild Card standings. They are still 10.0 games back from the Seattle Mariners and they are still in dead last place in the AL East. They trail the first-place New York Yankees by 19.0 games.
At the plate, the Red Sox are scoring 4.60 runs per game and hitting .259 as a team. This is the eighth most runs scored per game and the fourth-highest overall team batting average. They have shown that they can consistently reach base and drive in men with scoring position, but they have dealt with a ton of injuries this season. They are currently without Trevor Story. The Red Sox have also realized that they don't have as much home run power as they originally thought. Boston is only averaging .96 home runs per game, which is the 21st most in the MLB. I would watch for Rafael Devers in this one, as he le ads the team with 27 home runs. I would also expect the Red Sox to stay conservative once they have reached base safely. They have only stolen 51 bases this season, which is the 26th most in the league.
According to MLB.com, the Red Sox will be starting Nick Pivetta on the mound in this one. He is currently 10-11 with a 4.35 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. In his last start, he pitched for 5.0 innings, but he gave up seven hits and three earned runs to the Royals. Pivetta has also had issues on the road this season, as he is 5-5 with a 3.84 ERA. The Red Sox bullpen has also been up and down this season, as they are allowing the 25th least amount of runs per game. As a team, Boston is surrendering 4.85 runs per game, which is the 24th least in the MLB.