POSITION BY POSITION BREAKDOWN
STARTERS
The rundown: When healthy, the Red Sox have one of the scariest top-ends in all of baseball. This assumes health of body, and of mind, for Sale, Price and Porcello. Sale has been a big question mark since the Sox shut him down in August, and Price had one of the best stretches in baseball through early September, but hasn't been quite as sharp of late. Eovaldi could be an X-factor. Meanwhile, after Severino, there are a lot of question marks for the Yankees. Can they match the Boston arms? Yes. On a consistent basis? Likely not. One X-factor for New York may be Happ, who this season has been a Sox killer. Which Happ, Sabathia and Tanaka show up will go a long way in determining this series. EDGE: Red Sox
CATCHER
The rundown: Neither team has catching to write home about in terms of offense. In fact, both teams are pretty pitiful overall in that department. The Yankees do have Sanchez, who hits the Red Sox well. The Red Sox counter with Swihart, who has been swinging the bat well, can play almost anywhere and has a solid arm. The Sox seem to have the perfect catcher split three ways — Leon with the game-calling, Vazquez with the defense and Swihart with the hitting and speed. On offense, though, Sanchez has the pop, particularly against the Sox. EDGE: Yankees
DH
This is intriguing because after the Red Sox didn't get Stanton in the offseason, GM Dave Dombrowski instead went after Martinez. Martinez has proven to be the best possible fit with the Sox, acting as an offensive catalyst while helping other hitters on the team improve. He's also proven he can play the field when needed. Stanton's average is lower, but as he showed Wednesday night, he can crush the ball. He just can't do it as consistently as Martinez. EDGE: Red Sox
BULLPEN
The rundown: This has been the most maligned Sox bullpen in a long time, and much of it has been justified. The most glaring numbers across the board are the number of walks issued by the Sox staff. Runners on base for cheap make bigger innings more likely with one miss in the strike zone, which is what has been happening. The likely addition of Rodriguez from the starting group should help. The Yankees, meanwhile, have what is widely considered one of the best bullpens in baseball, and they have the numbers to back it up. With Betances, Britton and Chapman lined up in the final three innings, and Robertson able to play any of those roles, this is a position of strength for the Yanks. EDGE: Yankees
MANAGERS
The rundown: It's hard to think of Cora as a first-year manager. For one, his name resonates here as having been a World Series champion with the Sox, and he added another title as a bench coach a year ago with the Astros. Every button he's pushed this season has seemed to work the way he intended. In contrast, Boone has been panned in New York, which is hard to believe given his club won 100 games in the regular season. Decision-making seems to be the biggest difference here, and Cora has proven he knows what he's doing in a pinch. EDGE: Red Sox
PREDICTION
This has all the makings of a classic series, and it's one that begs to be contested over seven games — nine, or 11, even, if they'd allow us the drama. The matchups at every position are nearly a wash, save for the bullpen. But even there, the Sox have frustrated the Yankees bullpen more than any other team. The Yankees appear to have gotten healthy and hot at the same time, and at the right time. But the Red Sox are still at home. They still have two elite pitchers off the top. And they still have Alex Cora. Red Sox in 5 scintillating games.