Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Inflection Point

Lately it seems that the Red Sox fall behind early, then rally in the middle innings to make a game of it or even eventually win. It happened Monday night as they rallied from a 6-1 deficit after four innings to beat the Orioles 10-8 in eleven innings. Boston scored six runs in the fifth inning. From 9/12/2017 on, the Red Sox have killed the opposition in the fifth and sixth innings, posting a .412/.444/.676 line in the fifth inning, and a .344/.417/.688 line int he sixth inning.

It’s a good time to get to an opponent. Batters are starting the third time through the order, and opponents are unlikely to bring in their top relievers in the fifth or sixth inning. It’s the time to do damage, and the Red Sox are doing just that. This was a specialty of the 1998 Yankees. They would wear the opposing starter down early by being selective at the plate, drive him out of the game, then pound the back of the bullpen. Boston is using it to great effect heading into the playoffs.



from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2heAWnN

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