Rusney Castillo chases a ball while with the Portland Sea Dogs (Photo by Kelly O’Connor via SittingStill.smugmug.com)
Only one more week to go until the Hot Stove season begins for the Boston Red Sox. With only six games left, the Red Sox are 68-88 and have six chances to win two more games to be better than they were in 2012. If that is the only positive memento the Red Sox can get out of this season, then I would take it.
Rusney Castillo comes up
Castillo may have only 16 at-bats in the big leagues, but he has already shown that he can play at the big-league level. With a hit in every single contest to go along with a .250 average, the 27-year-old has shown that he can get the job done at the plate. Plus, he launched the first pitch of the Triple-A championship for a huge home run for his first in the United States. He might not have much pop, but he has enough for a player making a little over $10 million per season.
The Cuban still has to grow into the big leagues and should make great strides as he plays in the Arizona Fall League and when he comes into spring training in February. Don’t expect him to be like Jose Abreu, but he can provide some sort of big role on this time moving forward.
Road record complete
After being swept out of Pittsburgh, the Red Sox were able to salvage a road victory at Camden Yards over the weekend. The team finished 37-44 on the road and can only match that record at home if they win their final six games of the season at Fenway Park.
It might not be the most dominant road record in the league, but their play on the road over the last couple months really helped improve their record in the long haul.
If the team can take that to heart and play better at Fenway next season, then it could be an interesting season in 2015. Well, the team does need to add a couple front-line starters with a bat or two to drive in all those runners on base.
Going Forward
The Red Sox are setup to face the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees this week at Fenway. Neither team has anything to play for, but the Yankees have slight hope with an elimination number of four and Derek Jeter playing his final game on Sunday against the rival Red Sox.
Prediction: 4-2; the Red Sox may have struggled at home, but the Yankees and Rays have nothing left to play for besides pride. The Red Sox may be worse at home, but they will want to end the season on a high note. It might take some clutch hitting and pitching, but the team will finish 72-90 on the season.