Time Out for Sports Talk: The Road Through Sox-tober, Version 2.0 (Magic Number = 11)

Todd: Here we go again!  For those who visited this site three years ago, you may remember our ‘Road Through Sox-tober’ columns, which we are happy to bring back (hence the 2.0 reference), as New England’s favorite baseball team takes another crack at postseason play.

Boston’s last playoff appearance ended with John Farrell’s boys clinching their first championship at Fenway Park in 95 years, thus officially eliminating all remaining references between the Red Sox and the year 1918.

Now it’s all about 2016, as the Sox return to where it all began for them this season…Cleveland.

It was a chilly 34 degrees back on April 5 when the Sox beat the Indians 6-2 on Opening Day behind the pitching of David Price (6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 10 K) and the bats of Mookie Betts and David Ortiz, who both managed to go deep on a day not conducive to hitting. Big Papi’s home run came in the ninth inning against the Tribe’s fifth pitcher of the game, who also happens to be starting Game 1 of the ALDS tonight.

The Indians come into this series with a banged-up starting rotation, as their #2 man Carlos Carrasco is out for the season with a broken pitching hand and their third starter, Danny Salazar, is dealing with a strained forearm and has been left off the ALDS roster.  Plus their ace, Corey Kluber, has a sore quad and been pushed back to start Game 2, leaving Trevor Bauer (he who gave up the Ortiz HR six months ago) to get the Game 1 starting assignment.

We should find out very early in this series how the Sox will fare, as their current playoff roster is a collective 16-for-41 against Bauer, including a combined 7-for-10 from Ortiz and Betts, with four doubles and two home runs.

On the mound for the good guys in Game 1 is Rick Porcello, whose just-completed season might go down as one of the least-discussed of any 22-game winner in history.  I realize he’s not a fireballing ace, but I find so interesting that last year when Porcello struggled, the local media couldn’t wait to rip him a new one because he had just been signed to a huge contract extension.  Then in the first year of said extension he has an incredible year and not a peep from most of those yakkers.  How’s the humble pie tasting, boys?

Porcello has more than earned top billing in the Sox rotation for this series, and I expect tonight’s start will be much like many of his others throughout this season—nothing flashy, but more than effective.  Meanwhile, the key to this series from Boston’s point of view may well rest with David Price and his start in Game 2.  By now we are all familiar with Prices’ postseason woes (2-7, 5.12 ERA), the question is can he prove—as he claimed in his opening press conference upon arriving in Boston—that he was saving all his playoff wins for the Sox?

As for Clay Buchholz starting Game 3?  Hopefully Boston will be up 2-0 in the series, and at least Matthew likely won’t be paying any visits to Fenway during the Columbus Day weekend.

When looking at both rosters top to bottom, Boston appears to have a decisive edge at most positions, but if there are three reasons to beware of the Cleveland Indians, they happen to be names we are very familiar with.

1. Andrew Miller.  He was 10-1 with a 1.45 ERA this season, becoming only the second relief pitcher over the last two seasons to win ten games out of the bullpen.  Since joining the Tribe at the July 31 trade deadline, he has a downright nasty 46/2 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 29 innings of work.  Still throws hard, too.
2. Mike Napoli.  Remember him running shirtless through the streets of Boston after the 2013 World Series win?  Bet you forgot he was still playing, and playing quite well.  If Porcello’s 22 wins received little mention, how about Napoli’s 34 HR and 101 RBI?  Some Ortiz-like numbers for the 34-year old first baseman, although he differs from Papi with a .239 BA and 194 strikeouts.
3. Terry Francona. Didn’t think I’d leave ol’ Tito off this list, did you?  We know how some of the local media feels about this guy, and frankly I wasn’t crazy about he was booted out of Boston.  He knows how to manage in the biggest moments, and there is a quiet confidence that he’ll make the right decision at the right time.  So if he’s best buds with Farrell, how come some of that in-game managerial genius didn’t rub off on the Sox’ current skipper?

Despite those three guys, I go back to the starting rotations for both teams and think that should be the difference in this series, especially if those starters get Boston leads and Craig Kimbrel can pitch in save-only situations.  My ALDS prediction: Sox in four.

With all the Ortiz retirement celebrations out of the way, time for the 2016 Boston Red Sox to focus on playing baseball and find out if they are made for October.

Mike: Wait--did I see that Jack Bauer was pitching for the Indians???

(pause while I scroll back up and actually read what Todd wrote...)

Damnit --it was TREVOR Bauer, I was hoping for the star of 24 - that would have been epic!

Oh well, since I have 24 on the brain...let's take a moment to enjoy this 96 seconds of utter madness from Jack Bauer, a true American hero...

OK - now back to baseball, it seems like this is a Cleveland weekend for New England sports fans as the Pats will be in the Land of Cleve this weekend as well.

I think the Indians will be a tough match for the Red Sox, their bullpen is tough, anchored by that sensation from the California Penal League, Ricky Vaughn. And, he's not only tough, he has an epic entrance...that really drives the girls wild.

Ummm, this is embarrassing. I'm now being told that Ricky Vaughn is in fact a fictional character played by that paragon of virtue Charlie Sheen. My bad, especially since we all know Charlie Sheen makes the girls in Cleveland sick.

Let's ask some Cleveland fans what they think of the Indians having home field over the Red Sox...

So, as you can guess, I let Todd do the heavy analytical lifting here. But I do like the Sox chances, and I have to agree that the Sox take this one. But to be different, I'll say Sox in 5, just so the Cleveland fans can get crushed watching Boston celebrate on their field.

I imagine the fans will react something like this...

OK - one last Cleveland reference before I go....

Go Sox!

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