I won’t say that they were ever underdogs, but I will definitely agree that this was the most fun, most likable and probably the best Red Sox team I’ve ever seen. Active Depth Chart 40-Man Non-Roster NRI Coaches Transactions Moves.

They deserve all the praise they get, and probably a bit more. Baltimore Orioles Baltimore Boston Red Sox Boston New York Yankees NY Yankees Tampa Bay Rays Tampa Bay Toronto Blue Jays Toronto. This is easily the best Sox team I’ve seen. I’ve watched most Red Sox games since 1997, and until now the 2013 Sox - the ‘this is our f*cking city’ Sox - were the most enjoyable team I’d ever witnessed. The media predicted they’d be beaten by the Yankees, then they predicted they’d be beaten by the Astros, then after losing one game against the Dodgers, some in the media were predicting a Dodgers comeback.Īs the Sox wrap up this amazing season I hope that the media will finally, finally give the 2018 Red Sox the respect they deserve. The Sox still are seen as an underdog in the media. In some places there’s more Sox fans than hometown fans. It’s difficult to get much bolder than that.Being a Red Sox fan is a weird thing. See: Cora’s decision to call on Chris Sale, his projected starter for Game 5 of the ALDS, to instead finish out Game 4. (He’d join Bucky Harris of the 1924 Senators, Eddie Dyer of the 1946 Cardinals, Ralph Houk of the 1961 Yankees, and Bob Brenly of the 2001 Diamondbacks.) After displaying a fairly cautious approach in many regards during the regular season-a relatively quick hook with his starters, a hesitance to use relievers on consecutive days, a deep aversion to the bunt-he’s dialed up the aggression as the postseason has called for it. Now, he’s trying to become just the fifth rookie skipper to steer his team to victory in the World Series. But it wouldn’t be October without Freese contributing some massive hit in a crucial moment, be it as a starter or off the bench.Īlex Cora’s 108-win campaign is already one of the most impressive ever by a first-time manager. His impact may be limited to what he can do against those two pitchers, as Boston has no high-leverage lefty in its bullpen. Based on what they’ve done so far, then, here’s a loose idea of what to look for against the Red Sox.Īs for the Dodgers, the best bet is to expect something from David Freese, who will start Games 1 and 2 at first base against Chris Sale and David Price. All that switching around makes it difficult to predict exactly how the team will be arranged on the diamond, to say nothing of how they might look on the lineup card, but much of it depends on the opposing pitcher. Max Muncy has started at first and second. Chris Taylor has started at second base, leftfield, and centerfield. In this postseason alone? Enrique Hernandez has started at second base, centerfield, and right field.

The Dodgers have fully embraced positional versatility, which gives them maximum flexibility to tweak the lineup on the fly. That doesn’t apply just to who’s playing, but to where they’ll be playing. Now, there are four more who have appeared in each of the team’s postseason games-remember that obsession with pinch-hitting?-but as far as the starting lineup goes, there’s not necessarily much in the way of a sure bet outside of Turner and Machado. There are just two players who have started each of L.A.’s 11 postseason games so far: Justin Turner at third base, and Manny Machado at shortstop.

Boston red sox roster 2018