Don’t look now, but the Boston Red Sox are getting hot at the right time.
After taking two of three from the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium last weekend, the Red Sox kept rolling and took two of three from the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. They’ve now won four of their last five games, claiming consecutive series for the first time in a month.
Boston will try to make it three straight series wins when the division-leading Yankees come to town this weekend. New York is coming off a road series win over the Kansas City Royals.
After a rough May where Boston lost Alex Bregman, Triston Casas and Tanner Houck to injuries, the team has looked revitalized following the recent call-ups of Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony. The duo combined for four extra-base hits and five RBI against the Rays, giving the lineup a major spark.
Led by Mayer’s hot bat (1.712 OPS over his last six games), the Red Sox have some of their swagger back and are looking forward to hosting their archrivals this weekend.
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“It’s gonna be fun,” Mayer said after Wednesday’s 4-3 victory, as seen on NESN. “Friday, Saturday, Sunday night, I know this place is gonna be rocking. I know we’re ready for it. We’re gonna go out there and play really hard and see what happens.”
Mayer fared well in his first series against the Yankees last weekend. He went 2-for-4 with a homer and three runs during the three games, despite getting booed by the road fans. Fresh off his first career multi-homer game on Wednesday, the 22-year-old is entering the rematch on fire.
Meanwhile, this will be the first taste of the rivalry for Anthony, who made his Major League debut on Monday. This series will be a good test for him to see how he responds to the pressure.
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Boston will look to keep rolling behind American League Cy Young candidate Garrett Crochet (6-4, 2.35 ERA) on Friday. Despite allowing five runs in six innings against New York last Saturday, he still tallied nine strikeouts and picked up the win in his first rivalry start.
With the Red Sox playing well, their young stars on display and their biggest rivals in town, it’s shaping up to be a fun weekend at Fenway Park.
Featured image via Paul Rutherford/Imagn Images
