Editor's
note: The temperature gauge is a Bill James-created statistic that measures how
hot or cold hitters are. We will spotlight Red Sox and opposing team
temperatures on game days.
The Baltimore Orioles are in position to win their division for the first time in 15 years. The Red Sox, on the other hand, are just trying to end on a good note.
Although their year hasn't been ideal, the Red Sox have a chance to redeem themselves after their September collapse last season. Boston can play spoiler to the Orioles, who are duking it out with New York for the top spot in the American League East standings.
The Red Sox have brought up some of their younger players, who now have their chance to show the team what they can do. Danny Valencia got his first start in more than a month Saturday, joining the other call-ups who are filling out Boston's roster.
The Red Sox need to revitalize their offense in order to
rattle the Orioles' cage for the rest of the series. Dustin Pedroia, the offensive leader
for most of this season, has cooled of significantly over the last week. The Sox need more hits out of him to
keep the season interesting.
Jacoby Ellsbury and Mauro Gomez also need to produce.
Although Ellsbury was out of the lineup for Saturday's game, Gomez appears ready to handle the offensive load. He has batted .308 with two home runs and 14 RBIs over the last month.
Leading the offensive charge for the Orioles is Matt Wieters, who has
been scorching hot over his last 30 games, batting .309 and driving in an
impressive 20 runs over that span. Nick
Markakis has also been vital for the Birds' success over the last month, batting a
solid .316.
Here are the temperatures for the Orioles and Red Sox for Friday, Sept. 21:
Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, 85
Mauro Gomez, 77
Jose Iglesias, 75
Ryan Kalish, 73
Pedro Ciriaco, 73
Danny Valencia, 72
Guillermo Quiroz, 70
Mike Aviles, 67
Daniel Nava, 62
Ryan Lavarnway, 62
Scott Podsednik, 61
James Loney, 60
Dustin Pedroia, 59
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, 56
Ivan De Jesus, 55
Cody Ross, 54
Orioles
Adam Jones, 83
Matt Wieters, 81
Nate McLouth, 77
Ryan Flaherty, 75
Steve Tolleson, 74
Jim Thome, 72
Luis Exposito, 72
Nick Markakis, 72
Robert Andino, 69
Xavier Avery, 66
Wilson Betemit, 66
Taylor Teagarden, 65
Mark Reynolds, 65
Chris Davis, 61
Omar Quintanilla, 60
J.J. Hardy, 59
Lew Ford, 59
Endy Chavez, 57
Manny Machado, 51
