| 21 August 2009
The Red Sox just swept the Blue Jays, outscoring them 24 to 11 in the series and 14 to 2 in the final two games. But the Yankees have baseball's best record (76-45) and trail only the Angels in runs scored and batting average.
Both teams are 7-3 in their last 10 games and despite New York throwing their best pitchers at us this weekend, I'm expecting alot of offense this weekend from both clubs. With that in mind, here's a head to head look at each position.
Catchers: Victor Martinez, Jason Varitek, Jorge Posada
Jason Vartiek hasn't played since August 15th due to a "stiff neck" and Tito says they will "keep evaluating him and see how he's doing." Tek is hitting .233 on the year and .118 in August, so he can take as much time as he needs to "get better," but at SG points out - we all know that Tek has been secretly locked away in the basement until a playoff spot has been secured... Meanwhile, V-Mart is riding a 7-game hitting streak in which he is hitting .429 with three homers and six RBI... Posada is hitting a respectable .273 with 15 ding dongs this year, but he's just 10 for 42 (.238) in his last 10 games. He's also fanned 16 times and walked once during that span... a Mark Reynolds-like K/BB ratio
Edge: Red Sox
First Base: Kevin Youkilis, Mark Teixeira
Youk leads the Sox with a .306 average and is hitting .340 in August. He's been struggling since his return from suspension, but he's a career .296 hitter at Fenway Park and loves playing the Yankees: .309, 6 HR, 39 RBI in 69 games. He also kills Andy Pettite: 9 for 25 (.360)... Teixeira has really turned it on in the second half, hitting .302 with 10 homers and 26 RBI in 33 games. He's the scariest Yankee by far with a .313 BA and 5 HRs against the Sox this season, but with 85 career at-bats at Fenway, Tex is just 18 for 84 (.214).
Edge: Tie
Second Base: Dustin Pedroia, Robinson Cano
Pedroia returned from the birth of his first child this week, to find his teammates clicking on all cylinders without him. We all know that Boston Runs on Dustin here, so you can bet Pedey will be looking to make a splash during this series. Pedroia has found his power stroke recently, hitting eight ding dongs in his last 39 games after hitting two through June. Look for him to put a few dents in the Monster this weekend... Cano is hitting 3.42 in August and .325 since the break, but he went cold in Oakland with an 0 for 12 showing in the series. That said, a trip to Fenway might be what Cano needs to get going again... he's a career .345 hitting at The Fens.
Edge: Tie
Short Stop: Alex Gonzalez, Nick Green, Derek Jeter
Since reuniting with Boston last week, Gonzo has sparked the Red Sox lineup with his small-ball style and clean fielding. He's started the last five games ahead of Nick Green and has proven to be more than just a defensive upgrade - despite the .214 season BA. Gonzo is 5 for 19 (.263) in those five games, but wreak havoc with the Blue Jays defense, throwing down sac bunts like they were going out of style. He and Jacoby could cause problems for all opposing infielders down the stretch... When Theo trade for Gonzo, many of us assumed he'd split time with Green and help out late in games with his glove/range, but Green appears to have slipped back into the utility role he was destined for back in March. Green was helping at 2B while Pedey was away, but he's been awful at the plate since the break (.123), so expect him to be riding the pine down the stretch... Derek Jeter might be baseball hottest hitter right now. He's hitting .383 in August and .357 since the break and comes into this series with eight multi-hit games in his last nine starts. He's currently riding a 5-game multi-hit streak and is now hitting .343 on the road this year... he could be dangerous this weekend.
Edge: Yankees
Third Base: Mike Lowell, Alex Rodriguez
Mike Lowell has been fighting for playing time since the Sox acquired Martinez and his bat has remained too hot to keep on the bench. Lowell is currently riding a 5-game hitting streak and is hitting .345 since the break. With Tek hurting, Tito has been able to keep Lowell at 3B, Youk at 1B and Ortiz at DH and in turn the offense has come around. Lowell's power numbers spike in Fenway (.315, 10 HR, 39 RBI), so I expect big things from Mikey through the rest of this month and in this series... After missing all of April, Arod has bounced back from hip surgery with solid power numbers (21 HR, 64 RBI) but the average has been hovering around .250 all season. He's been quite as of late and was just 1 for 10 in his earlier trips to Fenway this year, but he's a .282 hitter at the Fens in his career and is hitting waaay better on the road this season (.297 home, .219 away).
Edge: Yankees
Left Field: Jason Bay, Johnny Damon
Jason Bay is back people. He's only hitting .256 on the season, but he's hit 7 homers in 13 games this month and is hitting .289 in August after hitting .192 in July. He's also been a Yankee killer this year, posting a .424 average with 3 ding dongs and 12 RBI in 33 at-bats and the Pinstripers. Look for Bay to have a big game tonight against Pettite: 12 for 27 (.444)... Johnny Damon has a whopping 22 homers this season thanks to the short porch in the new Yankee Stadium. He's only posted 20+ homers in two other seasons: 24 in 2006 and 20 with the 2004 Red Sox. He can wrap the ball around Pesky's Pole with the best of them and he's a .305 career hitter at Fenway.
Edge: Red Sox
Centerfield: Jacoby Ellsbury, Melky Cabrera
Ellsbury has grown into the player Sox fans hoped he would become after a flash of brilliance in September of 2007. Jacoby has hovered around .300 all season and has become one of the best leadoff men in the league with a solid average and 50+ steals on the year. He's also been very good against the Yankees throughout his early career, posting a .316 average through 27 games against New York... The Melky Cabrera story is an exciting one, even if you're from Boston. Melky was cut from the major league roster earlier this season, only to be called back and hit .325 through April and May, enabling the Yankees to keep Matsui out of the outfield and healthy as the DH. That said, Cabrera has come back to earth in the second half, hitting just .227 since the break and .179 in August.
Edge: Red Sox
Right Field: J.D. Drew, Nick Swisher
JD Drew has been the public's whipping boy for much of his time here in Boston, but he's kept a level head through it all and produced a number of big games for the Sox over the years. Yesterday was one of them. With the Yankees coming to town, the Sox were looking to sweep the Jays and ride Cloud 9 back to Boston last night... and JD came up big with two homers and a 4-4 night at the plate, despite recovering from a sore groin. Drew won't ever be the .300/100/25/100 guy we thought Theo was paying for back in 2007, but he's hitting .326 in August - helping the offense come into shape at just the right time... Swisher has been a nice addition to the Yankees and he's pretty much on pace for another Swisher-like season. Meaning, he's already hit his 20 home runs, his .245 BA is one point higher than his career average of .244 and he's on pace for 75+ RBI as the 7th man in the lineup. I think Yankees fans were hoping for the 2006 version of Swisher - you know, the guy that hit 35 ding dongs and drove in 95... but he's been solid. Both guys have their flaws, but since Nick is batting .217 at Fenway this year, I give the edge to Drew.
Edge: Red Sox
Designated Hitter: David Ortiz, Hideki Matsui
David Ortiz has RSN excited again, but the stats tell the true story. Ortiz seems to have found his stroke again with 4 homers in his last 6 games, but he's still hitting just .182 in August and .224 overall. Believe it or not, Ortiz is on pace for 25 HRs and 95 RBI despite the No.9 man type average and he's a career .309 hitter at Fenway. He also hits lefty Andy Pettite very well: 14 for 46 (.370) so we could see some Big Papi magic tonight... The Yankees have been juggling Matsui in and out of the lineup all season due to bad knees and better options. But he's quietly posted very solid numbers: .265, 19 HR, 59 RBI. The Yanks have tried to keep him healthy by using him at DH and gving him regular rest, but his surgically repaired knees flared up on him again in Seattle and he went 2 for 8 in Oakland. Matsui is 8 for 15 (.533) at Fenway this season and 13 for 35 (.371) against Boston this year... if he's healthy, Girardi will have him in the HD spot this weekend.
Edge: Tie
Bottom Line: Surprisingly, the Red Sox appear to have the offensive edge when you break it down by position, but the Yankees are hitting .278 (2nd) as a team while the Sox are hitting .263 (14th). The Yankees also have the edge in runs scored 667 (2nd) to 620 (5th).
But we know the Sox play well at home and the intensity will be high, so I think we could see 40+ runs scored this series... weather permitting.
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