Tonight is type of a bizarre recreation with a bunch of little issues occurring suddenly, and most of them are simple to miss with the looming collection in New York in opposition to the Yankees arising this weekend. However let’s rapidly run by way of a few of them:
1) Walker Buehler is getting the beginning in Boston tonight, and on the identical time, Kyle Harrison will likely be pitching for Worcester. It’s in all probability not a coincidence that the Sox A) lined up Buehler and Harrison to pitch on the identical day, and B) reshuffled their rotation a few turns again to make sure that is the spot that misses the upcoming 4 recreation collection in New York this weekend. In case you learn the tea leaves, Buehler is skating on some skinny ice!
2) The Purple Sox haven’t had a dropping homestand all yr that’s that’s lasted a couple of collection. That’s on the road tonight in what on paper regarded like a fairly opportunistic dwelling stretch. It even began with two wins and a lead late within the third recreation in opposition to the Marlins in a Crochet begin, so in the event that they stroll out of this 2-3, it’s going to sting!
3) The Purple Sox ought to have their two highest leverage relievers again out there tonight in Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman, however after the previous couple of days, it’s painfully apparent they want extra assist. So as soon as once more, we’ll be taking a look at this recreation with one eye on Worcester because the bullpens enter the sport. The rationale? Justin Slaten will likely be making an look down there in a rehab outing.
What’s at the moment in Worcester may very simply substitute what we see in Boston tonight in one other journey or two across the rotation.
4) The underside of the Purple Sox lineup tonight is, uh … one thing. They’ve received Masataka Yoshida enjoying in left, newly acquired Nathanial Lowe at DH, Abraham Toro surviving one other day enjoying first, and Wong in at catcher to offer Narvaez an additional day’s relaxation forward of what needs to be a heavier workload in New York.
In some ways, we’ll watch tonight with an eye fixed on the longer term as a little bit of a fall chill enters the air.
