AL East Showdown Starts Tomorrow… Who Has the Upper Hand?
June 29, 2018By Justin Paura, Baseball Analyst
The baseball season is in full swing as we are officially two weeks away from the All-Star break. MLB’s top teams have emerged and two of the top three are battling game-in and game-out to avoid the dreaded wild card game. It’s a resurgence of the greatest rivalry in the sport as the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox are separated by only half a game and head into a three-game series in the Bronx on Friday.
This is the third series out of five between baseball’s biggest rivals, set to break a current 3-3 tie between the two clubs. This series will inevitably prove huge for the rest of the season, especially when both teams want more than anything to win the division. So, before the two juggernauts go head-to-head, let’s take a look at who has the edge in what is sure to be a great weekend of baseball.
HITTING
The Sox look to be the most dangerous offensive team in the entire league with the way they’ve been coming together. They have MLB’s leading home run hitter (J.D. Martinez-25) and two of the top five hitters in terms of batting average (Mookie Betts-.338- and Martinez-.329). They also top the league in team batting average, team slugging percentage, team OPS, total bases and doubles. Seeing Betts and Martinez in top form alongside great talent like Andrew Benintendi, Xander Bogaerts and Mitch Moreland is an absolute nightmare for pitchers.
On the other side of the ball, you have the Bronx Bombers. Aaron Boone’s squad has more than lived up to its nickname as the Yanks are more than in position to smash the season home run record as they currently lead the league with 127. Their best hitters are two rookies that burst upon the scene a year before they were projected to and pace a team with powerhouses like Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.
- ADVANTAGE: BOSTON
Both teams have undeniable star power and see themselves at the top of the AL in all statistical categories. But with New York, you see much more holes than you do in Boston. Gary Sanchez cannot seem to get on track and the team is too reliant on the long ball. The Red Sox have five hitters in their lineup that bat over .290, Yankees don’t even have one. You know that Boston is not going to struggle to score, even if they fail to hit homers.
RELIEF PITCHING
Boston currently ranks third in the American League in bullpen ERA with a mark of 3.10. Matt Barnes and Joe Kelly lead the relieving core, limiting batters to under .170 throughout the season. Craig Kimbrel is one of the nastiest closers in the league with a near 4:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 23 saves in 25 attempts. There are a lot of guys sitting in the outfield that can come in at any time and save a ball game.
New York’s bullpen is the safest unit in the entire league right now. They have a combined ERA of 0.96 in the month of June and have given up only half the runs that the second-place Astros pen has surrendered this month. Jonathan Holder and Delin Betances have been nothing short of lights out, striking out 27 batters without giving up one earned run over the last thirty games. Chad Green and Adam Warren are always reliable when they get their names called and Aroldis Chapman hasn’t missed a save opportunity in his last 12 tries. This is the second straight season the pen is essentially untouchable in the Bronx.
- ADVANTAGE: NEW YORK
The Red Sox’ bullpen is very good, but New York’s is the cream of the crop. Boone has full confidence in four different guys that he can go to and he knows they won’t give up runs. The Yanks had to pull Luis Cessa in their last game after the third and locked the Phillies down for the rest of the game. There is no better bet in baseball than the Yankees’ relievers being great and they can’t be compared to another group at this point in the season.
STARTING PITCHING
The deciding factor between these two clubs is where the most similarities lie. Yankees and Red Sox each have one lights out starter; New York has Luis Severino, Boston has Chris Sale. Each of those guys can go out against any lineup in baseball and know they can go at least seven innings and serve up ten strikeouts. Severino may have the slight advantage on Sale this season, but the difference is slim.
As for the other starters in the rotations, that’s where it gets a lot more interesting. Boston has Rick Porcello, David Price and Eduardo Rodriguez still in their rotation while Drew Pomeranz is currently on the 10-day DL. The three all have respectable ERAs of 3.60, 3.66 and 3.86, but are not consistent every time they step on the mound. And come playoff time, who else can Alex Cora count on other than Sale? Price’s struggles in October have become comical at this point and the others have not been able to prove themselves. Steven Wright is currently filling in for Pomeranz, holding a record of 2-1 in his four starts with an ERA of 3.38, looking like the only real option other than the other five. If another pitcher goes down with injury, who knows who will pick up the slack?
The Yankees look to be in the same spot. After Severino, New York has a 37-year-old CC Sabathia, Sonny Gray and Mashario Tanaka, who is currently on the DL. Jonathan Loaisiga has just come up from Double A and looks to be solid, allowing only three runs in three starts. Sabathia looks in good form but his age may limit him as the end of the season looms. Gray does not look like the same pitcher he was in Oakland, but he remains a serviceable starter. Tanaka was alright before hitting the DL and Boone will need him back ready to go when he gets back because he cannot afford to go back to Domingo German in this chase for the division. Luis Cessa just finished his first start of the season and got beat up in three innings with no consistency or control. It’s the one major hole on this Yankees team that they cannot rely on another starter.
- ADVANTAGE: NEW YORK
Both teams have problems that need to be addressed ahead of the July trade deadline. The supporting casts behind each team’s number one starter are crippled in similar ways: one starter is hurt, big names in the rotation will likely struggle at the end of the season and there isn’t anyone who can come up and impress. However, looking at the two units right now, it’s easier to trust Sabathia with the way he’s pitching in June than anyone else in the Sox rotation outside of Sale. There’s going to be a race between these teams to get the same starters at the deadline, so this is the area most subject to change.
The Yankees and the Red Sox, for the first time in quite a while, are atop of the baseball world. They go into battle on Friday at Yankee Stadium to kick off a series that is integral to positioning in the AL East. Neither team wants to risk their season in one game come October, so both clubs are sure to put it all on the line from here on out. It’s going to fun, so buckle up and get ready for the showdown in the Bronx.
