Last place, then thirty games that changed everything
Boston sat at the bottom of the American League East not long ago. Then came a 27-3 stretch across 30 games, a franchise record, and the season looked unrecognisable. The hangover arrived right on schedule: 2-7, and the questions started again.
The Red Sox answered with a 5-1 homestand that closed Sunday with a 5-4 win over the San Francisco Giants. They open a three-game series at Miami’s loanDepot Park tonight.
Caleb Durbin tells the story as well as anyone. Through the end of May the third baseman carried a .530 OPS and one home run. Since then he has hit for an .859 OPS with 11 more.
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Three bats carrying the load
Willson Contreras leads the club with 26 homers, a career high at 34, and tops Boston regulars in OPS (.925) and RBIs (78). Wilyer Abreu sits second in doubles (27), homers (22) and RBIs (69) with an .800 OPS. Ceddanne Rafaela owns the team batting average at .289 and leads it in doubles with 32.
“If we stay with our approach, we feel like we’re going to score more than three (runs per game),” interim manager Chad Tracy said.
Ranger Suarez takes the ball at 5-3 with a 3.41 ERA. Miami has never troubled him. He is 7-2 with a 3.07 ERA in 22 career appearances against the Marlins, and 6-2 with a 2.47 ERA in 14 outings at loanDepot Park.
Miami are a different team at home
The Marlins arrive off a sweep of their own, three straight over Washington, their ninth of the season and the seventh at home. They are 41-25 in Miami. Only the Rays, Braves and Brewers have more home wins, and all three lead their divisions. The Marlins do not. They sit outside the National League playoff picture.
Since May 22 they are 26-10 at home and have taken 10 of 12 series there. Rookie catcher Joe Mack puts it down to the room. “We rally together,” he said. “We put together good at-bats, and we have an amazing group of fans who support us every day.”
Sandy Alcantara starts for Miami at 13-8 with a 3.46 ERA and the team lead in wins, carrying a 1.42 ERA from three career starts against Boston. Heriberto Hernandez is the swing factor against a left-hander: 19 homers, a .548 slugging mark against lefties, and a 15-2 team record when he goes deep. Behind him sits a lineup that ranks second in the majors with 132 steals, 29 of them from Esteury Ruiz.
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