After doing this fora few months, you start to realize how much you’re gonna miss it. How fun it was to see an awful team’s lineup and make decent analogies all for the sake of making this not mind-meltingly boring. Then you realize that the Red Sox play some teams way too damn much.
BALTIMORE ORIOLES – 83-76, 3rd place in the AL East (13.0 GB)
So the Red Sox have a chance to clinch something (home field advantage) in the next few days. Which, by some divine design or fate or what-have-you, means the Red Sox just have to face the Orioles. And the Buck Showalter Bandwagon would love nothing more than to ruin those dreams of being able to play in Boston.
Breakout status: still waiting.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
1 – Nate McLouth – LF – .260/.332/.402
2 – Nick Markakis – RF – .271/.327/.356
3 – Chris Davis – 1B – .285/.368/.631
4 – Adam Jones – CF – .285/.319/.491
5 – Matt Wieters – C – .234/.286/.419
6 – J.J. Hardy – SS – .261/.305/.433
7 – Danny Valencia – DH – .296/.329/.559 (in 161 PA)
8 – Ryan Flaherty – 3B – .218/.289/.385
9 – Brian Roberts – 2B – .246/.310/.381
Who’s hot? – Last 14 days
- Ryan Flaherty: 2 HR, .667 SLG, 17 wRC
- Matt Wieters: 7 RBI, .195 ISO, .783 OPS
Who’s not? – Last 14 days
- Danny Valencia: .200 AVG, 0.33 BB/K, .242 wOBA
- J.J. Hardy: .250 OBP, .037 ISO, 35 wRC
Photo by Kelly O’Connor of sittingstill.smugmug.net
SERIES PROBABLES
Clay Buchholz vs. Scott Feldman
Feldman is ever so slowly feeling the effects of BABIP regression, something new to the Orioles, apparently. This is the last tune-up for Buchholz before the playoffs. Will he continue to dominate, or start slipping back into more human levels of pitching?
Chen is probably the only guy I’ve with a sub-35% ground ball rate and a moderately successful career to date in the AL East. How does this guy survive that division? On the other hand, Jon Lester will look to end his 2013 on what we call a “high note”, a rarity from end-of-season Lester starts since 2010.
Aside from the Human Frustration Machine that is Tillman, how amazing is it that the Boston Red Sox’ 2013 season will end at AWESOME O’CLOCK? Nothing could be more perfect. Go get ’em, John Lackey. You’re the Greatest Starting Pitcher In The History Of Baseball.
INJURY REPORT
- Boston
- Nothing new to report.
- Baltimore
- Chris Davis: Missed Thursday’s game (September 26th, sore right foot)
- Manny Machado: 60-day DL (September 24th, torn ligament in left knee)
IN CONCLUSION
Close out the season, Red Sox, Koji-style!