While the Red Sox were able to split the two games of the series in Boston, and it has perhaps led to momentum being carried as they venture to Houston where they will play the next three games starting with tonight's Game 3.
However, there are still areas where they need to clean up in order to win this series and move on to the World Series which would start next week.
1.) Getting JD Martinez going. It was said by Astros manager, AJ Hinch that Mookie Betts was a "ticking time-bomb, just waiting to go off." Well, Mookie did go off by going 2-4 with two doubles and scoring two runs including a course in base-running in the 7th inning.
However, so far Martinez is still looking for his bat to ignite like it did during the ALDS where he was a one-man- wrecking crew of the Yankee pitching staff.
Currently, in the ALCS against Houston, Martinez has been held in check with only a walk in his seven at-bats against both Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole respectively. Yet, I have a feeling that against game 3 starter, Dallas Keuchal, JD is going to find himself some pitches to hit. Though in his career against the Astros crafty left-hander he has only two hits in 11 at-bats, one of those hits came this past September when Martinez hit a three-run home run.
So watch for JD to at some point in this game to start to get his bat going.
2.) Get Nunez going. Now yes we still have the images of Nunez failing both to get a glove on a hot-line drive resulting in two runs, as well as his error while trying to turn a double-play late in Game 1, yet manager, Alex Cora has already said that he plans to play the struggling infielder in tonight's game 3.
Against Keuchal Nunez is 2-4 with a walk and a stolen base against the lefty. So far Nunez has been on a slow simmer albeit his outbreak in Game 4 of the ALDS against the Yankees. But If he can turn that simmer into a boil look for him to break out of his offensive funk and be an impactful player tonight.
3.) Need for Eovaldi to go deep tonight. In his Game 3 start against the Yankees, the right-handed pitcher threw 7 innings ( thus the longest start by any Red Sox pitcher in this year's playoffs) and once again will be needed to go at least 5 if not 6 innings tonight.
Eovaldi faces a similar tough right-handed heavy lineup in the Astros, but if he can navigate through that by using his now effective "cutter" along with his triple-digit heat then I could see him having a successful start.
4.) FIX Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel struggled against the Yankees, putting Sox fans, myself included on the edges of our couches or wherever they may have been seated or standing to watch his Houdini-like escape to send the Sox to the ALCS. Yet, his last appearance just two nights ago has again left Sox fans scratching their heads.
He came on in the 9th inning and after securing the first two outs via strikeout, he then gave up back to back doubles reducing the lead by one and bringing the tying run up in the hot-hitting Alex Bregman.
Thankfully, Kimbrel was able to once again escape only after leaving a 99mph fastball that just got a little bit inside on the right-handed hitting Bregman resulting in rather a game-tying home-run into a flyball landing in the glove of Benintendi.
If Kimbrel can figure out his mechanics with pitching coach Dana LeVangie and can rediscover his ability to throw strikes and as in the video game Mortal Kombat would gleefully say " FINISH HIM" then the Sox have a great chance at winning tonight's Game 3 and taking a 2-1 series lead.
However, there are still areas where they need to clean up in order to win this series and move on to the World Series which would start next week.
1.) Getting JD Martinez going. It was said by Astros manager, AJ Hinch that Mookie Betts was a "ticking time-bomb, just waiting to go off." Well, Mookie did go off by going 2-4 with two doubles and scoring two runs including a course in base-running in the 7th inning.
However, so far Martinez is still looking for his bat to ignite like it did during the ALDS where he was a one-man- wrecking crew of the Yankee pitching staff.
Currently, in the ALCS against Houston, Martinez has been held in check with only a walk in his seven at-bats against both Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole respectively. Yet, I have a feeling that against game 3 starter, Dallas Keuchal, JD is going to find himself some pitches to hit. Though in his career against the Astros crafty left-hander he has only two hits in 11 at-bats, one of those hits came this past September when Martinez hit a three-run home run.
So watch for JD to at some point in this game to start to get his bat going.
2.) Get Nunez going. Now yes we still have the images of Nunez failing both to get a glove on a hot-line drive resulting in two runs, as well as his error while trying to turn a double-play late in Game 1, yet manager, Alex Cora has already said that he plans to play the struggling infielder in tonight's game 3.
Against Keuchal Nunez is 2-4 with a walk and a stolen base against the lefty. So far Nunez has been on a slow simmer albeit his outbreak in Game 4 of the ALDS against the Yankees. But If he can turn that simmer into a boil look for him to break out of his offensive funk and be an impactful player tonight.
3.) Need for Eovaldi to go deep tonight. In his Game 3 start against the Yankees, the right-handed pitcher threw 7 innings ( thus the longest start by any Red Sox pitcher in this year's playoffs) and once again will be needed to go at least 5 if not 6 innings tonight.
Eovaldi faces a similar tough right-handed heavy lineup in the Astros, but if he can navigate through that by using his now effective "cutter" along with his triple-digit heat then I could see him having a successful start.
4.) FIX Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel struggled against the Yankees, putting Sox fans, myself included on the edges of our couches or wherever they may have been seated or standing to watch his Houdini-like escape to send the Sox to the ALCS. Yet, his last appearance just two nights ago has again left Sox fans scratching their heads.
He came on in the 9th inning and after securing the first two outs via strikeout, he then gave up back to back doubles reducing the lead by one and bringing the tying run up in the hot-hitting Alex Bregman.
Thankfully, Kimbrel was able to once again escape only after leaving a 99mph fastball that just got a little bit inside on the right-handed hitting Bregman resulting in rather a game-tying home-run into a flyball landing in the glove of Benintendi.
If Kimbrel can figure out his mechanics with pitching coach Dana LeVangie and can rediscover his ability to throw strikes and as in the video game Mortal Kombat would gleefully say " FINISH HIM" then the Sox have a great chance at winning tonight's Game 3 and taking a 2-1 series lead.
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