The Boston Red Sox changed course Sunday afternoon, tabbing Nathan Eovaldi instead of Rick Porcello as the starter in Game 3 of their American League Division Series against the New York Yankees on Monday.
The move makes plenty of sense, as Eovaldi has had some success against the Yankees this season — including at Yankee Stadium.
In a start in The Bronx on Sep. 18, Eovaldi tossed six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits with as many walks and five strikeouts.
So what are the expectations for the hard-throwing right-hander? During Sox manager Alex Cora’s media availability Sunday, he (jokingly) laid out his expected pitching line for Eovaldi when detailing expectations.
“Seven innings, two hits, one run,” Cora quipped before taking a more serious tone, via The New York Post. “Just his stuff. We know he’s going to be throwing hard and he’s going to mix it up. He’s had success against them. Seems like it’s a good matchup. Obviously, in the playoffs, game planning is part of it, and I know they’re going to be ready, but we will too. We trust his stuff. He can even get away with mistakes, you know what I mean? Like when you throw 100 and you place it in the right spot, even if they take a good swing, you can get missed hits. So that’s a key.”
The Red Sox obviously would benefit from their trade deadline acquisition turning in a quality performance Monday. After David Price laid an egg in Game 2, the series is even at one apiece with the series now shifting to New York for the next two games.
