Series Preview: Seattle Mariners at Boston Red Sox

While right-hander Stan Thomas prepared to make his start against the Texas Rangers – just the 13th ever baseball game the Mariners had played – on April 18, 1977, Bob Hall powered across the Boston Marathon finish line in 2:40:10, earning first place in the race that also served as the National Wheelchair Championships. It was largely thanks to Hall that wheelchair racers were competing in the legendary race. Just two years prior, in 1975, Hall penned a letter to the race director, Will Cloney, asking if he could compete. Cloney told him that if he completed the 26.2 miles in under three hours he would receive a certificate like all the other finishers. Hall made it to Boylston in 2 hours and 58 minutes, becoming the first official wheelchair athlete in Boston Marathon history.

One day after Marathon Monday – and 50 years since Hall made history – the Mariners are in Boston for a three-game series against the Red Sox. Powered by Rowdy Tellez and some speedy turf, the M’s arrive one game back of the Texas Rangers in the AL West and 4-2 so far on their first big road trip of the season, taking the series in Toronto and Cincinnati. They’ll play three at Fenway before heading back to the friendly confines of T-Mobile Park.

Boston benefited from Seattle’s chaotic visit to Toronto and a four-game series against the White Sox, pulling even with the Blue Jays for second place in the AL East and two games back of the Yankees. They’re 6-4 over their last 10-game stretch, toting a run differential of -5, and so far the only series they’ve lost is their first against the White Sox (yeah, I had to do a double take too).

Obviously, the big to-do is flashy free agent signing Alex Bregman, who has been one of the best in baseball since the start of the year [schadenfreude intensifies], but not to be ignored is Trevor Story, with 22 games under his belt, nearly equaling his 2023 and 2024 fWAR. Kristian Campbell has been dedicated to demonstrating his 8-year, $60 million extension could be a real bargain, and Wilyer Abreu has elbowed his way into a crowded outfield with a saucy .286/.405/.529 and 157 wRC+. The other big story has been, of course, Rafael Devers and his colder-than-the-300-level-at-T-Mobile-Park-on-a-Tuesday-night-in-April start.

Probable Pitchers

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Brayan Bello’s first three seasons in the big leagues have been marked by unfulfilled promise. He’s got a couple of really good secondary pitches in his changeup and his slider, but his fastballs are merely mediocre. He did ditch his four-seamer in favor of a sinker last year, and theoretically that diving heater should play off his changeup a little better. The results didn’t follow. He started this year off on the IL with a minor shoulder injury and will be making his first start of the season on Tuesday.

Way back in 2017, Sean Newcomb was a highly regarded prospect in the Braves organization. Injuries and a lack of command forced him into the bullpen where he’s bounced around as a long reliever for the last few years. The command still hasn’t been solved but the injury woes the Red Sox have had to deal with early this year have forced them to turn to Newcomb as a starter. Because his command is so spotty, he hasn’t pitched past the fifth inning in any of his four starts, but he’s been wildly effective. His 3.63 ERA is better than it seems since he has four unearned runs on his ledger, and his 2.58 FIP is lower than you’d expect for someone with a 11.1% walk rate, but his 4.00 xFIP isn’t a mirage. The Red Sox have added a cutter to his pitch mix and that’s given him another weapon to combat right-handed batters.

Garrett Crochet was Boston’s big offseason acquisition and the team wasted no time in signing him to a massive six-year, $170 million extension that kicks in next year. After starting his career as an elite high-leverage reliever almost immediately upon being drafted by the White Sox, Crochet underwent Tommy John surgery in early 2022, costing him almost 18 months of development time. He moved to the rotation upon his return and was absolutely dominant last year. All five of his pitches had a whiff rate over 30% which is absolutely bonkers. He very quickly developed into a frontline ace and has as high a ceiling as any pitcher in baseball.

The Big Picture:

Every team in the AL West has won double digit games, which is nice for them and also makes them the only division where that is true (huge shout-out to the Rockies, who I knew weren’t good but did not fully realize were won-four-games-so-far-this-year bad). The Angels have fallen off their hot start but, this remains currently the most tightly-contested division in baseball.