First Pitch: Monday 7:10, Tuesday 7:10, Wednesday 7:10, Thursday 1:35
Arms: Monday: Kyle Davies, RHP (1-9, 7.32 ERA) vs. Jon Lester, LHP (10-4, 3.31 ERA)
Tuesday: Danny Duffy, LHP (2-4, 4.58 ERA) vs. Andrew Miller, LHP (4-1, 4.65 ERA)
Wednesday: Bruce Chen, LHP (5-3, 3.30 ERA) vs. John Lackey, RHP (8-8, 6.28 ERA)
Thursday: Luke Hochevar, RHP (6-8, 5.29 ERA) vs. Josh Beckett, RHP (9-3, 2.07 ERA)
Yard: Fenway Park Watch it: NESN Hear it: WEEI
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The Matchup
Last time
The last time these tow teams met was May 27-30, 2010 at Fenway Park. The two teams split a 4-game series, and those 2 losses dropped Boston to 4th in the East at the time. Let's forget about that and move on to kickin' their asses this season.
This time
Laser Show: Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez, and Josh Beckett
Ellsbury is still putting on a show at the plate, hitting homers, and driving his batting average up to a cool .320. I wouldn't be surprised if he hits a few more home runs in this series.
Dustin Pedroia is having no hard time keeping this 21-game hit streak going. He went 6-for-12 in the last series and he is stealing bases. Like I said earlier, sit back and enjoy the show.
Gonzo is looking better after each series proceeding the All-Star game. He is keeping his average up above the .340 mark, but has not exhibited much power. This is a good time to get that back.
Josh Beckett has never lost to the Royals. In his career against KC, Beckett is 6-0 with a 2.26 ERA, and 45 K's, over 55 2/3 IP. I think he'll do the right thing and continue to make the Royals his bitch.
Pitch Around: Jeff Francoeur
Francoeur is the team leader in homers (13) and RBI (60), but does not have a great average (.269). It is great news for the Red Sox when the opposition's most productive hitter is only batting .269. He is in the general range of where he has been in the past and I don't expect he will do too much damage this week.
Don't Fall Behind: Bruce Chen
Not an over-powering pitcher at all, but he does a good job of keeping the damage to a minimum (when compared to his fellow teammates). I wouldn't worry too much about all 4 KC starters, Chen just looks like the best chance for the Royals.
How we see it goin' down
The Royals will go by way of the Mariners and get swept right out of Fenway. Sox pitching is doing a good job right now and the bats are pretty hot for the most part. I see a very small chance that KC will be able to salvage a game in this series. We have said that in the past and they have given the Red Sox trouble, but I'll forget about all that.
