Know Your Enemy: Boston Red Sox

I, along with my good friend and SSS minor league expert Darren Jackson, attended the infamous Chris Sale jersey-cutting game.

We were in a long line waiting for the gates to open as Darren kept updating everyone around us why Chris Sale was scratched from the start. At first, there were some murmurs that Sale was on hug-watch alert for a possible trade.

Then Darren said there was a “clubhouse incident” that caused Sale’s removal from the game.

As we finally entered the park and received our 1917 throwback jersey giveaways, the news finally came out — Sale had cut up the jerseys. The lanky lefty claimed that he didn’t feel comfortable in them, and was sent home for his unthinkable actions.

It was a strange day. The team instead came out in its 1983 uniforms and started Matt Albers.

But the incident does not take away from his play on the field. The dude is a freak on the mound. He’s 6-foot-6, 180 pounds and throws gas to go along with a nasty slider. I’m still salty over the fact that the White Sox couldn’t find a way to win around him and Q. Just check this montage below ... he’s gotten multiple batters to swing on pitches that hit them.

The White Sox will also have to face David Price, who has had a nice comeback year and an injury-ridden 2017 season. He is a career 8.6 K/9 pitcher to go along with a 3.25 ERA.

Reynaldo Lopez will face the 8-2 Rick Porcello on Sunday. Imagine having a starting pitcher get enough run support to have eight wins. Porcello has an impressive 3.31 FIP this season as well.

And we haven’t even gotten to this lineup. Mookie Betts is having an MVP-type season so far, but it appears the Sox may avoid him this weekend. Betts is dealing with a left abdominal strain and will likely go on a rehab assignment.

But there’s still plenty of pop in this lineup. Sox pitching will have to face daunting tasks in J.D. Martinez, Andrew Benintendi and Xander Bogaerts.

Hanley Ramirez was designated for assignment in May because the team didn’t want to pay him $22 million in 2019 if he managed 497 plate appearances this season.

Craig Kimbrel rounds out the back-end of the bullpen and has been lights-out this year. He has 19 saves to go along with a 2.08 ERA in 27 games.

Yeah, it’s gonna be a tough task this weekend, but seeing one of the best pitchers in the game is worth it.

Probables:

Friday, June 8: Dylan Covey (1-1, 2.82 ERA) vs. Chris Sale (5-3, 3.00 ERA)

Saturday, June 9: TBD (maybe Carlos Rodon???) vs. David Price (6-4, 4.08 ERA)

Sunday, June 10: Reynaldo Lopez (1-4, 3.42 ERA) vs. Rick Porcello (8-2, 3.59 ERA)