GAME #45, TEXAS RANGERS AT BOSTON RED SOX

[Bear]

RANGERS V RED SOX

WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017, 7PM AT FENWAY PARK

TV:  NESN, FSSW, MLBN

TEXAS, (24-22)........................................................................................BOSTON, (23-21)

TEXAS:

MARTIN PEREZ, LHP, 2-5, 3.71ERA, 36K

Perez is 1-0 with a 2.70ERA in his last two starts after snapping a 4-game skid.
He has walked just two batters in his last 19 1/3 innings.  He is 2-2 with a 6,57ERA
in five career starts against the Red Sox.

BOSTON:

CHRIS SALE, LHP, 4-2, 2.19ERA, 95K

Sale seeks to become the first pitcher since 1913 to record nine straight
games of at least ten strikeouts.  He struck out ten in seven innings against
the A's on Friday and has finished at least seven innings in eight of nine starts.

Sale eyes MLB-record 9th straight 10-K game

Evan Chronis

Less than two months into his tenure in Boston, Chris Sale will have the chance to make history against the Rangers on Wednesday night. The lefty tied his own record of eight straight games with double-digit strikeouts last week in a 3-2 loss to Oakland.

Former Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez holds a share of the record, having recorded eight straight 10-strikeout games in 1999.

Opposing Sale (4-2, 2.19 ERA) will be Texas lefty Martin Perez (2-5, 3.71 ERA). This will be his sixth career start against the Red Sox; he's 2-2 with a 6.58 ERA against them.

On a potentially historic night for Sale, don't expect the stoic pitcher to be counting strikeouts.

"Peripheral stats don't matter in this game," Sale said after Friday's start in Oakland. "I know people love to crunch numbers and talk about this and that. They're flashy, they're cool, but at the end of the day, they don't matter. They really don't. Other than your win-loss record for your team, every other stat doesn't matter."

To try to cancel out the lengthy southpaw, Texas will start Ryan Rua at either first base or in the outfield. Rua is 6-for-11 in his past four games, but 0-for-3 against Sale in his career.

Perez will be the only left-handed starter that the Red Sox will face in the series, meaning that first baseman Sam Travis, Boston's No. 3 prospect who was called up from Pawtucket on Tuesday, will likely start. John Farrell said that the right-handed Travis was brought up to face left-handed pitchers and give first baseman Mitch Moreland a break.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS GAME

• Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus has yet to figure out how to solve Sale. Andrus is 2-for-23 in his career against the Red Sox's ace -- that .087 average is his second lowest against any pitcher he has faced at least 20 times.

• For Sale to enter the record books, he will need to continue to rely on his four-seam fastball. The pitch has earned him 46 strikeouts -- a league high. His slider has also proved effective, as Sale has rung up 35 batters with it, which ranks sixth in the MLB.

• Perez has been sort of an enigma when it comes to facing batters with runners in scoring position. Opposing batters are only hitting .217 off of him in these scenarios, but are also hitting .321 when there are runners in scoring position with two outs in the inning.

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/20170523231945146/sale-eyes-mlb-record-9th-straight-10-k-game/?game_pk=490800

[Bear]

Red Sox vs Rangers G2

Betts RF
Pedroia 2B
Bogaerts SS
Ramirez DH
Young LF
Benintendi CF
Travis 1B
Leon C
Marrero 3B

Sale LHP.

[Bill-806]

   Going for  3  in a row !!!   Go SOX,  one game at a time !!

[Bear]

This one will be worth watching...

[SeaBeachFred]

RANGERS V RED SOX

WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017, 7PM AT FENWAY PARK

TV:  NESN, FSSW, MLBN

TEXAS, (24-22)........................................................................................BOSTON, (23-21)

TEXAS:

MARTIN PEREZ, LHP, 2-5, 3.71ERA, 36K

Perez is 1-0 with a 2.70ERA in his last two starts after snapping a 4-game skid.
He has walked just two batters in his last 19 1/3 innings.  He is 2-2 with a 6,57ERA
in five career starts against the Red Sox.

BOSTON:

CHRIS SALE, LHP, 4-2, 2.19ERA, 95K

Sale seeks to become the first pitcher since 1913 to record nine straight
games of at least ten strikeouts.  He struck out ten in seven innings against
the A's on Friday and has finished at least seven innings in eight of nine starts.

Sale eyes MLB-record 9th straight 10-K game

Evan Chronis

Less than two months into his tenure in Boston, Chris Sale will have the chance to make history against the Rangers on Wednesday night. The lefty tied his own record of eight straight games with double-digit strikeouts last week in a 3-2 loss to Oakland.

Former Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez holds a share of the record, having recorded eight straight 10-strikeout games in 1999.

Opposing Sale (4-2, 2.19 ERA) will be Texas lefty Martin Perez (2-5, 3.71 ERA). This will be his sixth career start against the Red Sox; he's 2-2 with a 6.58 ERA against them.

On a potentially historic night for Sale, don't expect the stoic pitcher to be counting strikeouts.

"Peripheral stats don't matter in this game," Sale said after Friday's start in Oakland. "I know people love to crunch numbers and talk about this and that. They're flashy, they're cool, but at the end of the day, they don't matter. They really don't. Other than your win-loss record for your team, every other stat doesn't matter."

To try to cancel out the lengthy southpaw, Texas will start Ryan Rua at either first base or in the outfield. Rua is 6-for-11 in his past four games, but 0-for-3 against Sale in his career.

Perez will be the only left-handed starter that the Red Sox will face in the series, meaning that first baseman Sam Travis, Boston's No. 3 prospect who was called up from Pawtucket on Tuesday, will likely start. John Farrell said that the right-handed Travis was brought up to face left-handed pitchers and give first baseman Mitch Moreland a break.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS GAME

• Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus has yet to figure out how to solve Sale. Andrus is 2-for-23 in his career against the Red Sox's ace -- that .087 average is his second lowest against any pitcher he has faced at least 20 times.

• For Sale to enter the record books, he will need to continue to rely on his four-seam fastball. The pitch has earned him 46 strikeouts -- a league high. His slider has also proved effective, as Sale has rung up 35 batters with it, which ranks sixth in the MLB.

• Perez has been sort of an enigma when it comes to facing batters with runners in scoring position. Opposing batters are only hitting .217 off of him in these scenarios, but are also hitting .321 when there are runners in scoring position with two outs in the inning.

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/20170523231945146/sale-eyes-mlb-record-9th-straight-10-k-game/?game_pk=490800

No Bear, there are FOUR things to watch for in this game, the fourth one by far the most important.  It is whether our team will get off his collective asses, show some guts and balls and go out there and get Chris Sale some real support for a change, something they have been pathetic in doing.  Maybe this time Sale will have an off day and the hitters will bail him out......well there are rumors that pigs fly.  Chris, take it from me.....pitch your heart out tonight and hope for the best from your character-challenged teammates.

[Rob from Mass]

Finally back in the states after a great 6 day Bahamas vacation.Should be back in Mass early evening .Going to the Fens for 2-weekend games with the Mariners.  Sale going tonight will be a good game to watch after a week without watching the Sox .

[Bill-806]

Finally back in the states after a great 6 day Bahamas vacation.Should be back in Mass early evening .Going to the Fens for 2-weekend games with the Mariners.  Sale going tonight will be a good game to watch after a week without watching the Sox .

  Thanks for the update Rob,  Your astute vision of the Red Sox was missed while you were on VACA !! Actually you did not miss much in Oakland..

[Bear]

Oh yes, if the offense is hitting, it will be a great game to watch.

[Bill-806]

Oh yes, if the offense is hitting, it will be a great game to watch.

  That depends on J F , and if he comes out with small ball to attack the defense or if he stays with "keep the line moving" and hits into  D P after D P.

[ipot]

Oh yes, if the offense is hitting, it will be a great game to watch.

Just give Sale the darn run support!  He's putting up Cy Young numbers this early in the season. 
It'd be nice if he can get to the 20 W mark by October.

[Bill-806]

  Sam Travis starts at 1st base tonight.....  Welcome to FENWAY, son !! thumb_u

[SeaBeachFred]

  Sam Travis starts at 1st base tonight.....  Welcome to FENWAY, son !! thumb_u

Bear down Sam and give it your all.  Show the under-achieving bums what a hungry ballplayer can do.  We can use your bat.  Go out there and do it.  And Farrell, try not to start to ruin another young ballplayer.

[markj]

Sox still loving the GIDP.

[Bear]

how many strikeouts so far?

[Bear]

I guess the bar is closed, oh well.