Game of the Week: April 24: BOS @ SEA

[Erick RockiesGM]

Boston Red Sox (12-6) @ Seattle Mariners (10-10)


BOS: Drew Pomeranz (1-1, 5.65)
SEA: Felix Hernandez (4-0, 1.19)


King Felix has established his dominion over all bats who have challenged him this year. He hasn't faced a threat like the Boston Red Sox though.

With a 1.19 ERA and four wins in four starts, Felix Hernandez has looked exceptional to start the season. That ERA number and win total top the league, and he's third in WAR. He's allowed exactly two runs in each of his starts, though half his runs allowed have been unearned. That's a consequence of keeping the ball on the ground so well. as his ground ball rate is healthy at almost 66%. Lefties particularly haven't touched him, as he carries a .452 OPS against by left handers.

Despite the unearned runs, Seattle is second in the AL in Zone Rating. Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager have been solid, while Jean Segura has been exceptional at short. Despite Danny Valencia being a butcher, the trio has really performed well in vacuuming Felix' ground balls and turning them into outs.

That defense is going to be important against a Red Sox team that has a BABIP of .345, well over the Major League average of .306. Boston is first in batting average and second in runs in the AL, despite being a more pedestrian fifth in home runs. Seven players in Boston's primary lineup are hitting .292 or better, with Jackie Bradley leading the AL in batting. Bradley's start has been spectacular. Always known primarily for his defense, Bradley is hitting .375 with four home runs and 14 RBI's. Combined with a steady glove, he's been worth 1.4 WAR, second in the league.  

Seattle took two of the first three games of the series. They won on Saturday behind Drew Smyly's sparkling outing. Smyly and six relievers teamed up to hold the Red Sox under four runs for just the second time this season. Friday they came from 6-2 down with two outs in the ninth to win. Chris Sale fatigued in the 9th, and Craig Kimbrel allowed three straight hits to Guillermo Heredia, Jarrod Dyson, and Jean Segura to tie the game. Kyle Seager walked off with a two-run shot in the 10th. Boston rallied with three home runs from Hanley Ramirez, Andrew Benintendi, and Jackie Bradley Jr. in a five-run third inning leading to a 7-5 win. The game today will be a chance for a split for Boston, or a huge confidence-boosting series win for Seattle.


Questions for the GMs:


For Derek Bobola, Joey Votto has been as good as advertised for you. He's been hitting well, but has been bothered some by an Achillies injury. Will he be in the lineup today?

Felix Hernandez is a huge ground ball pitcher. You have five fly ball hitters in your lineup if Votto plays. Is that the key to beating Felix?

You made a big deal to acquire Drew Storen along with Votto, but all Storen has done is allow nine runs in 5.1 innings. What other options do you have to fix a struggling pen?

For Troy Allen, Robinson Cano has an elbow that's been sore for a couple of days now.What's his status?

People didn't think Felix Hernandez had this in him. What's been the key to his success this year?

After a rough start, Jarrod Dyson is starting to turn things around with an 8-16 streak in his last four games. Are performances like this why you stuck with him?

[Derek _ Red Sox]

For Derek Bobola, Joey Votto has been as good as advertised for you. He's been hitting well but has been bothered some by an Achilles injury. Will he be in the lineup today?

Yes, Votto will be in the lineup for us tonight. He shouldn't have any setbacks hitting or throwing. Running could be a slight issue so we will be cautious on the bases with him and will stress that he doesn't push the limit and try to extend a hit. Station to station would be ideal but Votto is also a competitor and if the game is on the line, instincts may overrule us.


Felix Hernandez is a huge ground ball pitcher. You have five fly ball hitters in your lineup if Votto plays. Is that the key to beating Felix?

They call him the King for a reason. He is still electric and the key to beating a guy like him is to remain patient. We can't go up there swinging at the first pitch and let him extend his stay on the mound late into the game. We need to work the pitch count, keep deep counts alive and hope we can wear him down or get to the bullpen.

You made a big deal to acquire Drew Storen along with Votto, but all Storen has done is allow nine runs in 5.1 innings. What other options do you have to fix a struggling pen?

Storen is struggling right now and our biggest concern going into the season was our bullpen and that's the reason we acquired him. We currently ranked 14th in the American League in bullpen ERA but we are not ready to panic or change course. Storen has pitched 13 innings for us and for a guy who has proven himself for 6 years in the big leagues, there is no reason to panic. We got some good performances so far in our bullpen and we think they all win turn it around shortly and Storen will lead us.

[Erick RockiesGM]

Mariners 2 Red Sox 1


W: Hisashi Iwakuma
L: Drew Pomeranz
S: Edwin Diaz


A personal matter kept Felix Hernandez from starting against the Boston Red Sox on Monday. No matter, Hisashi Iwakuma was all business.

Iwakauma allowed only two hits and no walks over 6 innings as the Mariners shut down the potent Red Sox offense in a 2-1 win. He allowed only one runner past second base in a masterful performance of limiting hard contact. He was working on short rest so he was pulled after 75 pitches.

Seattle's bullpen came on and continued the strong pitching. Working with a one-run lead, Steve Cishek got the first out of the seventh before Nick Hagadone came on and walked Joey Votto. Mark Lowe was brought in and he got Hanley Ramirez to pop up to Danny Valencia in foul territory and Xander Bogaerts to ground out to Robinson Cano to end the inning.

Lowe stayed in and walked Mitch Moreland to begin the 8th, but Evan Scribner got Christian Vasquez to hit into a double play before Jackie Bradley Jr. flew out to Mitch Haniger to end the inning. Edwin Diaz committed a two-out walk to Mookie Betts, but kept him at first and got Joey Votto to fly out to end the game.

The Mariners needed that strong bullpen performance because Drew Pomeranz really settled in. Pomeranz allowed only two runs, going all 8 innings in a complete game loss. After allowing a Leonys Martin go-ahead RBI single in the 5th, Pomeranz retired 11 straight batters. He allowed only three hits and two walks in his own right. After two straight short performances where he couldn't get out of the 5th inning, it was great for Boston to see Pomeranz give them a long start. However, despite getting Guillermo Heredia to ground out, strike out, and hit into a double play in his other three at bats, Heredia homered off Pomeranz in the third. That turned out to be the difference in the game.


Questions for the GM's:


For Derek Bobola, your offense has been excellent this season, but had two low-scoring games this series. Are there any trends there or just some bats going a little cold?

Dustin Pedroia cranked a double past Kyle Seager in the game and came around to score. He's hitting .318 in the series. What do you like about him in the leadoff spot?

You lost three of four to the Mariners, often in different ways. What did they do to cause problems for you?

For Troy Allen, did you expect Iwakuma to be as good as he was on short rest?

Edwin Diaz racked up his eighth save. How does it feel having an excellent closer you can turn to late in games?

You gave Guillermo Heredia the start. He had a big home run. What do you like about having him in the lineup?