Boston Red Sox v. Cincinnati Reds
Inter-league play continues for the Red Sox this weekend, as they head to Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati to face former Red Sox Bronson Arroyo and his teammates for the start of a 15 game stretch against the National League.
Boston has been struggling of late, losing 7 of their last 11 games. So far this month, the Sox have been outscored on average 4.5 to 4.36. In contrast, Boston outscored opponents on average 5.4 to 3.6 in May.
The Red are 33-36 this season, good for 3rd place in the National League Central. They trail the Chicago Cubs by 14 games in the Central. The Reds have scored 312 runs this season, which ranks 7th in the National League. Their starting staff has compiled an ERA of 4.46, which ranks 10th.
Cincinnati is led by offensively by free agent-to be Adam Dunn, who leads the team in home runs (17) and RBIs (43) while batting a modest .241 in 63 games. Edison Volquez, getting his first real shot at a starting spot, has shined for the Reds since coming over in the offseason for CF Josh Hamilton. In 15 starts, Volquez has a 5-5 record to go along with a 2.72 ERA (5th in NL) and 1.05 WHIP (4th). He leads the team in strikeouts with 106 (3rd).
The Sox have an interesting decision to make concerning David Ortiz. Heading into National League ballparks, manager Terry Francona will have to find at-bats for both Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis and Mike Lowell at the corner infield positions with the loss of the Designated Hitter spot in the lineup.
Project Matchups:
6/13: Tim Wakefield (8-3, 3.18 ERA) v. Aaron Harang (4-6, 5.35)
6/14: Jon Lester (7-2, 3.98) v. Bronson Arroyo (3-8, 5.99)
6/15: Clay Buchholz (5-2, 5.14) v. Josh Fogg (4-7, 5.00)