The Boston Red Sox will host the Toronto Blue Jays for game one of their divisional series this Friday from Fenway Park on the MLB Network.
Blue Jays Preview & Projected Starter
Toronto enters at 60-50 after dropping three of four to Baltimore. The Blue Jays were pushed around this week in their battle of birds with the Orioles, and they’ll now head down to Fenway in search of different results. The Toronto offense is scoring 4.85 runs per game, while batting .262, with a .331 on-base percentage. The pitching staff carries a 3.80 ERA, with a 1.26 WHIP.
Alex Manoah (2-8, 5.87 ERA, 112 Ks) will take the mound for Toronto. The third-year pitcher was solid in his matchup with the Angels last week, striking out six through 4.1 innings, while holding them to just one run. I’d say he did well, but his erratic ways dealt the Halos another blow and cost Taylor Ward his season. Manoah will face a tall task at Fenway this Friday night, and this spot may prove to be tough mentally for him.
Blue Jays Player Trends & Props
• Toronto’s lineup has been affected early by the absence of Bo Bichette, as they only amassed eight runs over the final three matchups with Baltimore. The Jays went and got Paul Dejong from St. Louis in response to their star shortstop’s injury, but he’s off to a slow start (0-6, 3 Ks)
• Vlad Guerrero Jr. produced the only run in the game four loss, and he leads Toronto in RBI (67), with seventeen homers.
• Matt Chapman, along with Vlad Jr., only had one hit in the Baltimore series, and they’ll both need to pick things up if they’d like to survive without Bichette. Chapman is posting splits of .254/14/45 for the season.
• Whit Merrifield plated runs in five straight games to close July, and after collecting multiple hits last night, he’s batting .299, with 50 RBI.
Red Sox Preview & Projected Starter
Boston moved to 57-51 after dropping two of three to Seattle. The Red Sox dropped four of six on their road stand, and they’ll look to get back on track at home in division play. The Boston offense is 4.18 scoring runs per game, while batting .264, with a .331 on-base percentage. The pitching staff carries a 4.89 ERA, with a 1.34 WHIP.
James Paxton (6-2, 3.34 ERA, 80 Ks) will take the bump for Boston. The veteran lefty held firm in the Bay last week, holding them to one run through five innings pitched. Paxton joined the staff in mid-May and has served as a reliable starter for the Sox this season, as six of his last nine outings have resulted in quality starts, and he’s allowed two runs or less through five starts at Fenway this season.
Red Sox Player Trends & Props
• Rafael Devers has reached base in eight of the last ten games, and he’s first on the team in HR (25) and RBI (76).
• Justin Turner has produced a run in four of the last five games, and he’s posting splits of .286/17/71, with 112 hits.
• Jarren Duran homered in the game three loss to Seattle, after recording a hit in nine of the previous ten games, he leads Boston in batting at .311, and has 37 RBI tallied.
• Masataka Yoshida broke his five-game hitless streak with a pair of hits in the game two win, and he’s back in the team-lead for hits (113), with splits of 305/12/54.
Corey’s Free Pick
This spot at Fenway smells like it could be trouble for a skidding Toronto team. Not only will the Jays be without their best player in Bo Bichette, they’ll also have to face a strong Sox lineup, that’s returning from a poorly played road trip. When you throw in who Toronto’s trotting out there, things get a bit spookier, as Alex Manoah in this Boston environment sounds like the last thing he needs right now. Even if Manoah shows up, the Blue Jays have to wake up at the plate, and I like another strong outing from James Paxton here en route to a Red Sox win. Back Boston for game one of this AL East series.
AUTHOR: Corey Ghee
