The Boston Red Sox sit 13 games back out of first-place in the AL East, which currently has the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays neck and neck at the top spot. Statistically, the Red Sox aren’t in great shape and most experts aren’t about to make a crazy prediction that they’ll go on an insane run and suddenly be in the mix for the division.
But it’s not impossible.
In fact, this week is huge for Boston, as a mini tear could put them on that road of unlikely craziness. With a massive showdown with the Yanks starting at Fenway Park on August 31, the Red Sox still have a sliver of hope to make a dramatic push like none other. Of course, riding a hot wave into their three-game series with the Yanks is no guarantee. On the contrary, the Red Sox are 6-4 in their last 10 games and still possess one of the more dangerous lineups in the league, capable of getting the upper hand seemingly against any starting pitcher.
Boston’s plight for an epic turnaround starts on August 24, when they kick off a three-game series with the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. If Boston’s hot run is going to become a reality, it will have to start on the road against a White Sox team that they’ve only managed to beat once in four tries in 2015. Boston, as usual, did bring the offense (22 runs) in those four outings, but also like usual, their pitching didn’t show up, as they yielded a whopping 30 runs in that previous series opposite the White Sox. Boston fans will hope it’s the other way around come Monday, but even if it’s not, fans are in for a terrific discount, as Red Sox tickets are just $50.44 on average for game one, while the cheat seats are a mere $8. The value only gets better as the series moves on, with game two and three both checking in at $45 on average, with super low get-in tags of just $5. Furthermore, fans can save significantly on parking in Chicago with ParkWhiz.com, which has spots available starting from $20 for all three ballgames.
The value isn’t quite as obvious for Boston’s second series of the week, when they head to Citi Field to take on the first-place New York Mets. The matchup will be much more challenging, too, as the Mets have arguably the best young starting pitching in all of baseball, and have to be feeling confident right now with their current five-game lead over the Nationals atop the NL East division. While it will surely be a challenge for Boston to take down elite pitchers like Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and/or Jacob deGrom (depending on who starts), it’s a huge series in the form of a rare Interleague matchup.
New York is obviously the better team on the season, but they haven’t faced the Red Sox, which could give Boston’s lethal offense the edge it needs in a tough road matchup. The series opener features some solid value, as tickets are averaging roughly $125, with a $33 get-in price, in a game that will see fans receive a free t-shirt at the door. Game two checks in as the most expensive encounter, being $158.67 with a get-in price of $42, but also includes one of the cooler Mets giveaways of the whole season, as 1986 World Series bobbleheads will be distributed to fans upon entrance. The series finale, meanwhile, is probably the best buy for this late-August collision, as fans pay just $123.75 on average ($34 to get in), while getting to enjoy a Toy Truck Giveaway, as well as the final game of what could be an intense, gritty series.
And of course, as always, those attending the game can save on their New York City parking with ParkWhiz.com. For this series at Citi Field, they have spots available around the stadium for less than $15 for each of the three games.
The Red Sox may or may not go on a wild run and use their late-season series with the Yanks to push themselves up the AL East standings. They will, however, be assisting in providing tremendous value for fans, and that starts this week with two intense road series.