Predicting the ALDS Rotation

American League Division Series tickets for the Red Sox went on sale yesterday at noon.  I am pleased to announce that I will be attending Game 2 of the ALDS.  This is a huge deal for me, since when I lived in Iowa, attending a Red Sox playoff game was never really an option.

The Red Sox will start the division at home, and it has not been announced who they will be playing.  Depending on how the records wind up on Sunday, the Red Sox will either be playing the A's, Tigers, or one of the Wild Card teams.  More than likely, it appears the Red Sox will be playing the Tigers or a Wild Card team, as the A's are only a game back for the best record in the American League.

There are now four games left for the season.  The Red Sox's record is at 95-63.  While winning 100 games is out of the question now, having the best record in the American League is still very doable (as mentioned, the Sox are currently a game up on the A's).  The Red Sox also currently have the best record in the Major's, a huge improvement from last year's 69-93 season.

The playoffs officially start Tuesday, October 1st with the National League Wild Card game, and the American League Wild Card game will follow on Wednesday, October 2nd.  The Wild Card game is new this season, as two wild card teams per division will battle in a one-game playoff to find out who continues.  The NLDS will begin Thursday, October 3rd, and the ALDS will begin Friday, October 4th.

There's been some speculation about who the Red Sox will go with for their rotation in the ALDS.  I think it's pretty safe to say that Lester will be the Game 1 starter.  Lester is 15-8 with a 3.67 ERA; his last start, Friday, not only clinched the AL East for the Sox, it was also his 100th career win.  Lester's ERA was as high as 4.60 on July 8th, but it has steadily been been declining.  In 13 games at home this season, Lester has a 3.09 ERA, compared to a 4.09 ERA in 19 away starts.

Personally, I'd rather see Lackey go Game 2.  Lackey's been probably the most consistent throughout the season.  His season ERA is 3.52, which is remarkable considering he didn't pitch last season while recovering from surgery.  I would pitch Lackey Game 2 because his home numbers (13 games, 2.47 ERA, 1.033 WHIP) are so much better than his away numbers (16 games, 4.48 ERA, 1.271 WHIP).

Game 3 will be away and played on Monday.  The choice for starter for this game could be interesting, as it could go to either Buchholz or Peavy.  I think a lot will depend on how well Buchholz and Peavy pitch their last starts.  Peavy pitches tonight against the Rockies, and Buchholz will pitch Friday against the Orioles. 

Buchholz, though injured for 2 months, has been phenomenal this season.  In 15 starts, he has a 11-1 record, a 1.60 ERA, and 1.026 WHIP.  Buchholz's last start, against the Blue Jays, wasn't as impressive as previous starts (6.0 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 106 pitch count), but he's been dominant most of the season.

Peavy has been consistent while on the Red Sox.  Since coming from the White Sox, Peavy has a 3.68 ERA and a 1.074 WHIP.  His home stats (7-0 record, 2.73 ERA, 0.973 WHIP) are considerably better than his away stats (4-5 record, 5.09 ERA, 1.224 WHIP).  Despite this, Peavy isn't the "Ace" of this team or has only been with the team for the past 3 months.

Choosing the Game 3 starter is important, as this pitcher could potentially clinch the ALCS birth for the Red Sox.  I'm going to say that it'll be Buchholz, and Farrell will bring Peavy out for Game 4 on Tuesday.  Essentially, the Game 3 and Game 4 starters will have the same job- get the job done away from Fenway Park.

Make sure to check back this Friday for Twitter Friday.  Next week, I'll have more about my trip to Baltimore on Saturday and discussions about the playoffs. 

Magic Number is 10

With the Red Sox beating the Rays 2-0 last night, their magic number now stands at 10.  The Red Sox currently sit at first place in the American League (and only .01 percentage points behind the MLB-leading Braves).  The Rays are 8.5 games back of the Sox, Orioles 10, Yankees 10.5, and Blue Jays.

The Wild Card race is tighter than ever with the Rangers having the first slot, and Rays 2.5 games back with the second slot.  Orioles and Indians are 1.5 games back of the Ryas, Yankees, 2 games, and Royals 3 games.  It's a tight race, and there really isn't a definite winner of either Wild Card slot.

Clay Buchholz pitched last night for the first time since Jun 9th.  Before the game, I was admittedly nervous.  Not only was it nerve-racking to watch a pitcher who hadn't pitched for 3 months, but Buchholz wasn't calming my nerves in his minor league appearances either.

Buchholz, for his part, pitched beautifully.  He went 5.0 innings, gave up 0 runs, 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 6.  He pitched 74 pitches, 44 for strikes.  It went without saying that Farrell wouldn't let Buchholz go over about 70-80 pitches, and he did nicely with the 74 pitches he threw.  His ERA is now at 1.61 for the season.

With Buchholz back, it's brings the question of who the odd man out is.  For right now, the Red Sox announced they were skipping Doubront's next start.  Dempster, who pitches tonight, has a 4.79 ERA. Doubront's ERA is at 4.15.  I still think a 6-man rotation is needed, let them fight it out for a spot on the playoff roster.

With the way they've been pitching lately, Lester and Lackey definitely deserve a spot in the playoff rotation.  Peavey has also been great since coming over from the White Sox, and he should be getting starts as well.  Depending on how Buchholz pitches these next few starts, Farrell can also utilize him.  Farrell has a tough decision to make, since the ALCS usually carries 3 starters, and the Red Sox have 4 pitchers who seem up for the task.

The Red Sox take on the Rays again tonight, as mentioned, sending Dempster to the mound.  This could be a chance for Dempster to break out, since the Rays have been on a downward spiral these last couple weeks.  Plus, the Trop had under 19,000 fans last night at the game, and I'm sure half of them were Red Sox fans.

And for those who wanted and update on how I'm doing in Connecticut...

Connecticut is hot today.  It's almost like it was in Iowa, where the humidity is worse than the heat.  My curly hair is a frazzled mess right now (luckily, I could just pull it it back into a messy bun and not have to worry about it).

You know those eCards that show up on Facebook about wearing a dress because it's hot?  Yup, that's exactly how I felt today.  I hung the dress up yesterday, and Cole commented how I was going to wear a dress.  I explained to him when it's this hot, a dress is a lot cooler than shorts.  Plus, I went shopping today and wanted to look a little cute.

I went shopping in Meriden, Connecticut today, and I thought it was an absolutely gorgeous town.  I first went to the mall, which was right off the highway and not that scenic.  After, I went to Pier One and Target, and there were spectacular views all around.  I really wish I would've taken a picture walking out of Target and seeing the mountains in the distance (yes, I'll call them mountains now and not hills).  I will definitely take pictures the next time I'm there.

The apartment is starting to feel more like a home.  Once we have everything put away and situated the way we want, I'll be sure to post pictures.  I'm definitely my mother's daughter, as I spend time each day on websites like Amazon, Pier One, Ikea, and Target looking for new things to make this apartment feel more like Cole and me.

One last note, Saturday Cole and I will be going to the Red Sox-Yankees game at Fenway Park.  It's going to be about 20 degrees cooler than it was last weekend (the high is saying 70).  I can't wait to get back to Fenway and feel the atmosphere of that wonderful baseball park.  Make sure to check back at the end of the week for Twitter Friday.

Red Sox Win and Moving Week

The Red Sox were able to pull off a series victory of the hot Dodgers this weekend.  The Red Sox became the first team since mid-June that had beat the Dodgers in a series.  There were definitely some good things to take away from this series.

The Red Sox starting pitching was very impressive.  Even though he received the lost Friday, Lackey held the Dodgers to two runs (coming off a Hanley Ramirez home run).  He had a complete, eight-inning game with only 3 hits, 0 walks, and 6 strikeouts.

Saturday, Lester was back in top form to get the 4-2 win.  He pitched 7.1 innings, gave up 3 hits, 1 run, 4 walks, and had 6 strikeouts.  He also lowered his ERA to 3.97. 

Sunday, Peavey pitched a complete game in a 8-1 win.  He was rolling too.  It only took him 111 pitches to get through the dangerous Dodgers line-up, and he only surrendered 1 run on an Adrian Gonzalez home run.  In his 9 innings, he had 3 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts.

So, in the course of 3 games, the Red Sox starting pitching gave up a total of 9 hits to the hottest team in baseball.  I'd call that a successful trip.

Xander Bogaerts had his first Major-League hit on Saturday when he pinch-hit for Breslow in the top of the 9th inning.  He followed that up on Sunday with 2 hits, including a double.  In the small sample size, he's hitting .333.

The Red Sox have an off-day today, which is deserved after taking two series on the West Coast.

In other news, I will be starting my move to Connecticut on Saturday morning.  What does this mean to the blog?  This will probably be the only blog post for the rest of the week, as I still have a lot to do both at work and at home.  The hope is to post once I get semi-settled in Connecticut next week, either Monday or Tuesday.

This blog has seen a huge surge in views over the past couple months, and I really appreciate it.  Remember, you can also follow the blog on Twitter @BornIntoItInIA.  I'm sure I'll find a few minutes to tweet this week, so check it out.

Thanks again for finding the blog, and I'll let everyone know how the move (and Red Sox) went next week!

Thoughts from this Weekend’s Series with the Angels

The Red Sox won the series this weekend against the Angels, winning Saturday night and Sunday’s games after losing the first game on Saturday.  I know I’ve mentioned it before, but the key to making the playoffs is winning series.  The Red Sox are doing this. 

Unfortunately, the Yankees (and Orioles and Rays too) are doing this as well, so it’s been hard to distance themselves from the rest of the pack in the AL East.  The Red Sox now stand at 39-25, a .609 winning percentage, and are 1.5 games up from the Yankees.  The next two series the Red Sox are facing are against the Orioles and Rays, away.  They need to win both of these series.

Now, some thoughts and observations from this weekend’s series against the Angels:

-  The Red Sox starting pitching was great in this series.  Doubront (first game Saturday): 6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, and 4 SO.  Not the best outing, but definitely a good outing for Doubront.  Before he went out with an injury, Buchholz pitched well enough for his 9^th win of the season: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, and 4 SO.  Yesterday, Dempster had a good outing as well: 6.0 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO, and 2 HR.

-  Dempster also recorded his 2,000^th strikeout yesterday.

-  Buchholz left the game on Saturday with neck tightness.  He hasn’t ruled out pitching his next start, but he’s still feeling sore, as of yesterday.  He was supposed to be examined by the team doctor yesterday, but I have yet to hear any reports.  An injury to Buchholz wouldn’t be good for a team who is only about .500 when pitchers other than Buchholz and Lester pitch.

-  Ortiz, Saltalamacchia, and Carp connected with 2 home runs a piece this weekend, including Satly’s 2 home runs that game in yesterday’s game.  Ortiz was 4/14 with 3 extra-base-hits and 6 RBIs.  Salty was 3/8 with 4 RBIs, and Carp was 4/8 with 3 RBIs. 

-  Ellsbury, who sat out the second game on Saturday, had 3 stolen bases and a Triple.  He was 3/8 for the series.

-  Iglesias, who is making quite a name for himself in the Majors.  He was 6/12 this weekend with a double and a stolen base.  He is now hitting .446, and showing excellent and versatile defensive abilities at Shortstop, Third Base, and Second Base.  When Middlebrooks comes back, the thought is Ciriaco is the odd man out at this point.

-  I had a complete mental block while watching the beginning of the Red Sox win yesterday.  I was at a pub with my boyfriend; and for some reason, the North Carolina-South Carolina college baseball game was on every television. We asked our waitress to switch the television closest to us to the Red Sox game, and the first batter we saw was Pujols.  I completely forgot he was on the Angels, and still consider him a Cardinal.  I know this is bad, especially coming from someone who loves baseball, but it’s still not sinking in.  Besides, the Angels away uniforms are very similar to the Cardinals away uniforms.

-  I was listening to WEEI’s broadcast of the game for a bit yesterday.  They were talking about how “likable” this Red Sox team, and how that wasn’t always the game in years past.  I have to agree with them.  There really isn’t anyone on the team I dislike.   I may dislike the way players are playing, but there’s no one I honestly dislike.