The Wild Card round is behind us. Now, we look ahead to the Division Series.
Today marks the beginning of the ALDS, and we’ve got two great matchups in store.
The Red Sox and Rays will square off in the ALDS, with Game 1 starting tonight at 8:07 p.m. Eastern time. Shane McClanahan will take the ball for the Rays, while Eduardo Rodriguez will pitch for Boston.
These two teams battled it out in the AL East for much of the year, but Tampa Bay ultimately pulled away and won it by eight games over Boston and New York.
Below, we’ll make a case for each team to win this series, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses and how they’ll affect the upcoming series.
The Case For The Rays
At this point, it’s hard to bet against them. Can you think of any other team that loses their ace for the year, trades two starters away, and still finishes with the best record in the AL? No, you can’t.
The Rays just have that magic. Oh, and they’re the defending AL Champs, with a strong lineup that features last year’s breakout star, Randy Arozarena, Austin Meadows, Nelson Cruz, Wander Franco, Yandy Diaz, and the list goes on and on.
You never underestimate Tampa Bay because somehow, they figure out a way to get it done.
The Case For The Red Sox
Tampa Bay will likely be the favorite, but you can’t count out Boston either.
J.D. Martinez is back for the ALDS, and the Sox lineup is loaded with stars like Kyle Schwarber, Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, and Alex Verdugo. They also just beat Gerrit Cole and the Yankees without having their own ace, Chris Sale, for the Wild Card game.
The Sox have momentum, and have also won four World Series titles since 2004. Alex Cora came back and picked this team right up off the mat, and now they seem to have some of that magic back from 2018.
The Sox also have superior starting pitching. The Rays are without Tyler Glasnow and traded away Rich Hill and Blake Snell. Boston on the other hand, has Rodriguez, Sale, and Nathan Eovaldi ready to go.
Conclusion
This is going to be a great series. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that we’ll go to a Game 5. The AL East always has tense matchups, and you can bet that we’re in for some excitement in this ALDS.
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