American League Favorite (or Most Feared Team) Red Sox 16 Rangers 7 Blue Jays 2 National League Favorite (or Most Feared Team) Cubs 13 Dodgers 10 Nationals 2 World Series Winner Cubs 7 Red Sox 6 Dodgers 4 Rangers 4Five reasons the Red Sox will win
1. What a lineup: The Red Sox have scored an incredible 83 more runs than the next-best offense in the American League (Cleveland). While the Blue Jays had a similar run-scoring gap last year, only one other AL team in the past 80 years has managed to put up a 100-run gap between itself and the pack -- and you need to go back all the way to the 1950 Red Sox to find that one. ...
2. Their strength is greater than any other team's strength: ... Against pitchers who average a strikeout per inning or better, the Sox lead the major leagues in average, on-base percentage, slugging and OPS. Against pitchers defined as "power pitchers," Boston's OPS (.798) is 65 points higher than the next-best team. But the Red Sox are also first in OPS against "finesse" pitchers (.848). And they went into the weekend as the only team in the past five years with an OPS of .800 or better against both left-handed and right-handed pitching. ...
3. Their rotation is better than you think: ... Clay Buchholz and Eduardo Rodriguez have made 11 starts between them since Sept. 1. They've allowed two runs or fewer in eight of those starts. ...
4. Their bullpen is hot: ... Since the beginning of September, the Red Sox pen ranks second in the AL in ERA (1.81), and first in opponent average (.198) and strikeout rate (10.4 K/9). ...
5. Papi Power: Every once in awhile in sports, the script writes itself. So there's just something about the way the stars keep lining up for David Ortiz's retirement tour that feels as if there could be one more incredible chapter to come.
October 4, 2016
Stark: Why The Red Sox Will Win The World Series
ESPN's Jayson Stark asked 25 baseball executives to pick each league's pennant winner and the World Series winner.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
11 comments:
Utter nonsense from ESPN. The Red Sox are a very flawed team. Pitching is deplorable at best. Good pitching ALWAYS shut's down hitting why I would not bet on the Red Sox but instead favor The Cubs or Nationals to win it all. The Red Sox could not even secure home field advantage to face the Indians. Not the good sign of a Champion.
"Pitching is deplorable at best."
Evidence, please?
Once again ESPN is incorrect as usual. The pitching of the Red Sox is deplorable. Good pitching ALWAYS stops good hitting and the Red Sox have proven time after time this season when facing good pitching their bats go quietly into the good night. No. The ultimate winners of the World Series will be either the Cubs or Nationals. The Sox could not even secure home field advantage against the Cleveland Indians. Toronto shut down the so called over powering bats of the Red Sox. Ortiz looked like an old man on last weekend and expect that whatever juice he is using is now catching up with him. He cheated once before and it's not unlikely that he is doing it again. I'm sorry but Ted Williams Ortiz is NOT!
You have to look at the last week of the season and give this team a pass. They had four off-days over the last two months. The players are tired and hurting. If Farrell had been serious about home field advantage, then he wouldn't have sat more than half his starting lineup in NY last Thursday.
"Pitching is deplorable at best."
Red Sox finished the season tied for third best team ERA (4.00), second best team ERA+ (114), and third lowest runs allowed per game (4.28), mostly due to a very strong second half. That bodes well going into the post-season.
Man, trolls have got to get some new material.
Feel honored; the troll joined Blogger just to dispense his opinion on your blog.
Good pitching ALWAYS stops good hitting
That's why all the good pitchers have ERAs of 0.00 every year.
Because they ALWAYS stop good hitting. ... And bad hitting, well, anyone can stop that.
shut's
Oh my.
The Red Sox could not even secure home field advantage ... Not the good sign of a Champion.
Yup, no HFA ... just like those frauds from 2004. You can't win anything without HFA!
Red Sox finished the season tied for third best team ERA (4.00), second best team ERA+ (114), and third lowest runs allowed per game (4.28), mostly due to a very strong second half. That bodes well going into the post-season.
And:
3rd in FIP
4th in WHIP
1st in Fewest HR Allowed
Feel honored; the troll joined Blogger just to dispense his opinion on your blog.
I noticed that too. Also noticed the apostrophe abuse but restrained myself. :)
Two comments on the same topic using similar language is the sure sign of a hit-and-run troll. They are deplorable at best.
Post a Comment