Happy Sunday, folks! It’s the last day of the regular season (probably), and everything is weird in Red Sox world.
For starters, the game is being played in Tropicana Field due to a Nor’easter in New England. It was the right call to move the game because there’s zero chance they would have had a window to play in Boston today, but the game ultimately didn’t need to be played at all. Against all odds, the Red Sox and the Cubs are both locked into the fifth seed, so this game counts for pride and pride alone. Unless the two meet in the World Series, in which case it counts for home field advantage. Let’s not worry about that right now, though.
For other starters, Tanner Houck is back! He’s starting his first game since last May. Houck probably won’t figure into the postseason at all, but it’s nice to see him back out there.
We’ve got injury news too! Willson Contreras and Ceddanne Rafaela are both in the lineup today, a positive sign for the postseason, although I’ll be closely watching how Contreras swings as he grinds through his injury. Tyron Guerrero was also placed on the injured list, a huge blow to the bullpen ahead of the playoffs. Wyatt Olds took his spot, while Nate Eaton replaced Mickey Gasper.
If meaningless baseball at a neutral site isn’t your thing, how about games with real playoff implications? The Astros and Rangers are tied for the top spot in the American League West, with Houston owning the tiebreaker. The Astros are starting Peter Lambert, who just threw 62 pitches on Thursday. Personally, I’d rather the Rangers make the playoffs because I don’t want to see Yordan Alvarez, but pitchers taking the ball on short rest is always cool.
In the National League, the Phillies are in a tailspin but control their own destiny. They’re in with a win, but if they lose a fifth straight game and the Diamondbacks pull out a win, they’ll fall out of the playoff picture on the last day of the season. There’s some weather at play in Philadelphia as well, so that’s something to keep an eye on.
That’s a whole lot of preamble before a meaningless regular-season Red Sox game. It’s a great day to stay inside and watch all the sports, so get your TVs out, your beers in the refrigerator, and find a nice spot on the couch for the rest of the day*.
*If you don’t have other responsibilities.
First pitch at 3:05 pm on NESN and WEEI
