![]() ![]() He's protected much of his game from the usual consequences of age, and for that reason, we should expect that 40 will bring its own share of glorious moments. But there's no reason to assume he can't continue to perform at a high level, as FanGraphs' Jeff Sullivan outlined: "Through 39, David Ortiz hasn’t changed very much. ![]() And he's eclipsed 30 homers and 100 RBI in each of the last three campaigns. Even at his ripe old age, with more than 9,000 big league plate appearances under his belt, Ortiz remains the backbone of the Red Sox's offense.Īnd lest you think his strong April showing is some sort of small-sample mirage, remember: Amid all of Boston's woes, Ortiz hit 37 home runs last year, his highest total since 2006. And right-hander Steven Wright, who slid into the rotation because of a spring knee injury to Eduardo Rodriguez, sports a 1.37 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 26.1 innings.Ĭontributions from youngsters like Mookie Betts along with Ortiz's output have helped Boston score the most runs in the AL. After tossing seven shutout innings Saturday, sinkerballer Rick Porcello lowered his ERA to 2.76. Other starters, however, have picked up the slack. Price has endured an up-and-down April, racking up 46 strikeouts in 29.2 innings but posting an unsightly 5.76 ERA through five starts. Before we drill deeper into Ortiz's hot start, let's look at some other things that are going right in Boston. Still, the Red Sox faithful have got to love what they're seeing. The pitching-rich Tampa Bay Rays are a small-market success story waiting to happen, and the Yankees, lousy start aside, are always dangerous. The Toronto Blue Jays boast ample firepower of their own. The powerful Baltimore Orioles are currently the surprise first-place squad. Nothing is guaranteed, and the AL East is stacked top to bottom with flawed-yet-plausible contenders. The hope is that the rest of the team shows up in this series as well.ĭespite seeing the White Sox truly nosedive this season, it is exciting to see them participate in matchups like this one.Ortiz seems to be sipping from the fountain of youth in his swan-song season. He is clearly showing that he is an All-Star caliber player as well. has been on fire lately as he hit his 20th and 21st home runs of the season on Sunday. The White Sox are not short of talent either despite their poor record. Austin Davis on July 4 played the role of an opener against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. He is a premier defender in an important position (centerfield) while hitting as well as anyone who ever lived. The Red Sox are redeploying a seldom-used strategy in Boston and hoping for similar results. Before Ohtani came around, Trout was seen as the best player in the league. Mike Trout hitting alongside Shohei Ohtani is what creates this team's two-headed monster. Ohtani will in all three of their lineups as a premier designated hitter but he will start Tuesday's game on the mound. He is the best hitter on the team but he is also the best hitter on the team. ![]() Shohei Ohtani is the greatest player in the league right now and he might be the most talented player who ever lived. The reason that baseball fans want more of the Angels is the fact that they have two of the most spectacular players who ever lived. Seeing the White Sox play the Angels is going to be truly exciting. They are hoping to give baseball fans what they want this year. The difference is that the Angels are only 1.0 games out of a Wild Card position. However, they aren't in a horrific division so they are still 6.0 games out of first place which is exactly the number the White Sox are at as well. They are 42-37 which is a much better record than the 34-45 mark of the White Sox. The Angeles are really trying to change that narrative this year. Of course, this series is loaded with great players that haven't had much success in the win column over the years. Now, they'd like to keep that good feeling going as they hit the road.Ĭhicago will head to California where they will be taking on the Los Angeles Angels. They had some good pitching performances from pretty much everyone and the offense did just enough to take two out of three. With their win over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday afternoon, they were able to snap the bad streak. After losing four straight series in the final game of the set, the Chicago White Sox finally got one.
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