Red Sox-Blue Jays Pitching Matchups: Boston Begins Post-Nieves Era
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Red Sox are in Toronto for the weekend, and they go there without a pitching coach.
Juan Nieves was fired on Thursday after the Red Sox felt compelled to do something to improve the pitching staff. The Red Sox enter this weekend ranked 29th out of 30 MLB teams with a 4.86 ERA. The starters' ERA of 5.54 likewise ranks 29th out of 30.
Of course, nobody -- and not even the people who just fired him -- would put that blame on Nieves. That's a failure to perform from the pitchers, but, well, a team can't just swap out its rotation in one fell swoop. So Nieves is gone, and the pressure ramps up for the rotation to step up.
That will begin Friday night with Wade Miley, the man with the ERA over 7, on the bump.
Friday, May 8, 7:07 p.m.
Wade Miley (1-3, 7.15 ERA) vs. Aaron Sanchez (2-2, 4.62 ERA)
The Sox send their biggest question mark to the mound for the opener of this three-game set, but Miley is coming off an encouraging outing. Miley made it through seven innings in his last time out, allowing three runs on seven hits and zero walks while striking out three Yankees. Though Miley took the loss, it was his longest start of the season, and it dropped his ERA 1.47 points.
Sanchez, meanwhile, has not made it out of the sixth inning all year, averaging five innings per start on the season.
KEY MATCHUP: Pablo Sandoval vs. Aaron Sanchez
There's not a ton of history with either of these pitchers facing the other team's batters, but this one's interesting. Pablo Sandoval has faced Sanchez just twice, but he is 2-for-2 with a home run, a single and three RBIs. Can he stay perfect?
Saturday, May 9, 1:07 p.m.
Joe Kelly (1-1, 5.72 ERA) vs. Drew Hutchison (2-0, 7.47 ERA)
Two fellows who prove how meaningless a pitcher's win-loss record can be face off on Saturday afternoon.
Kelly is coming off his first walk-free start of the season, but that was a day when he also gave up nine hits and five runs to the Yankees in just 4 2/3 innings. After starting the season by allowing three runs over 12 2/3 innings, he's allowed exactly five runs in each of his last three starts.
Hutchison is coming off a pair of brutal starts against Boston and Cleveland, in which he combined to allow 12 runs on 17 hits and six walks in 8 1/3 innings. Toronto won that game against Boston, because Clay Buchholz pitched even worse than Hutchison.
KEY MATCHUP: David Ortiz vs. Drew Hutchison
David Ortiz has not done well in his appearances against Hutchison. Ortiz is 1-for-12 with one walk and one sacrifice fly in 14 career plate appearances against him.
Sunday, May 10, 1:07 p.m.
Clay Buchholz (1-4, 6.03 ERA) vs. R.A. Dickey (1-3, 4.38 ERA)
Clay Buchholz is overdue to have a good start. ... Right?
Buchholz has turned in two bad ones in a row, allowing 10 runs (9 earned) over nine combined innings. But those starts came after two starts where he allowed just three runs over 12 innings. If the two-good, two-terrible pattern continues, he should be all right on Sunday.
Dickey is coming off his best outing of the season, when he allowed one run over eight innings against the Yankees. He took the loss against the Red Sox in his previous time out, when he allowed four runs on nine hits over seven innings.
KEY MATCHUP: Xander Bogaerts vs. R.A. Dickey
The Sox shortstop has enjoyed his time facing the knuckleballer, going 7-for-14 with a pair of doubles.
