For those who have not seen my actual Red Sox Series Reviews, welcome! I always do these in the same format to keep them consistent, not just a blob of words. Players' and fans’ opinions are going to shift series by series. So, just because I don’t love Tanner Houck, this review doesn’t mean I can’t bump him up to love at the end of this week.
This week will be relatively short. Mainly because the Red Sox didn’t do much.
I will give my thoughts on the Devers at the bottom of the blog.
Overall Takeaway
To be honest, this series was hectic for me. I am currently moving, so more than half this series was consumed via radio. I am an old head, so I don’t mind that too much. But I love nothing more than cuddling up in a blanket and watching the Red Sox in bed. I got to do that Saturday and Sunday.
Game 1: Red Sox- 5-2
Game 2: Rangers- 4-1
Game 3: Rangers- 4-3
Game 4: Rangers-
What I Loved
Kristian Campbell
Impossible not to be excited about Campbell and the other young Red Sox prospects. He’s got pop, speed, swagger, etc.
My one thought would be to keep him at 2B. Yeah, his diving attempt in LF was cool, but he is the 2B of the future, keep him there.
Run Run Run
Eight stolen bases in this series for the Sox. Love seeing Wong running. I was surprised to see Story being so aggressive early on. I kind of expected him to be as cautious as possible coming out.
Wilyer Abreu
Campbell and Abreu were pretty much the only true bright spots for the Sox. With Abreu playing this well, the Red Sox are going to have some tough decisions when Yoshida is healthy and Mayer/Anthony are tearing up the minors.
.700 AVG/ 2.300 OPS
Bullpen
12 scoreless innings with one walk in the series. Muy bien.
What I Was "Mid" About
Jarren Duran
Can’t love what he has done just yet. Whenever he got on base, he was a demon on the basepaths.
Alex Bregman
He was….. fine. Ironically, he was probably the third-best player on the team this weekend, but that isn’t saying much.
What I Didn't Love
Texas Rangers Camera Angles
Hear me out. Did anyone notice how weird the angles were whenever a ball was hit to the outfield? Has it always been this way in Texas? I need to know.
Tanner Houck Not Pitching Well At Night
I pedaled some fake news with this X post below.
RISP
The Sox could not drive anyone in. When two of your best players are hitting a combined .025, that will happen.
Triston Casas and Rafael Devers
I am putting Devers and Casas together here because they are both playing abysmally. Of course, Devers has been historically bad with 10 strikeouts in the first three games, but Casas is only marginally better with one hit.
I have said for about a year now that the Red Sox should have sold high last offseason when people thought Casas was going to be a cornerstone of the team. He had one good half-season and everyone was watering at the mouth.
I also love Devers, so it is hypocritical of me to critique Casas and pretend Devers will be fine.
I don’t think Devers is going to be okay for a few weeks. His shoulder has not recovered from last year. Sure, his MRIs might be clean, but he was not swinging all offseason. He needs to build strength and timing back. It will take time. At least he did not strike out that last at-bat.
If you haven’t already, please consider subscribing below!