The Red Sox will invade Yankee Stadium tonight for the first time this season. What’s going on with Boston right now?
Here’s a look at five things happening in Red Sox Nation:
* Adrian Gonzalez is scorching. In his past 10 games, Boston’s first baseman is batting .372 (16-for-43) with six homers and 14 RBIs.
Gonzalez, who entered yesterday leading the AL in RBIs, will be playing at the new Yankee Stadium for the first time.
Yankees pitchers held him to 3-for-12 with three singles at Fenway Park from April 8-10.
“You want to be careful,” Yankees catcher Russell Martin said before the Yankees’ 11-5 loss to the Royals last night. “We do a lot of homework. But anytime somebody’s hot, you want to pay attention to him and make sure it’s a situation where there’s a better matchup on deck.”
* Clay Buchholz may have righted his ship. The right-hander will open the series tonight, and when he faced the Yankees at Fenway on April 9, he was blasted for five runs (four earned) on eight hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings. But in his past two outings, Buchholz — who went 17-7 with a 2.33 ERA last season — has allowed two runs in 11 2/3 innings, winning both starts.
Josh Beckett, who pitches tomorrow night, hasn’t surrendered a run in his two starts this month. On April 10, Beckett blanked the Yankees on two hits over eight innings, striking out 10.
* The Red Sox are struggling on the road. At Fenway, they are 11-9, scoring 4.7 runs per game with a 4.16 ERA. On the road, though, they’ve gone 6-11, scoring 3.6 runs and posting a 4.70 ERA.
The Red Sox have gone 15-10 since their 2-10 start to the season. They opened the year 0-6, getting their first win against the Yankees.
“They may have been 0-6 at the time,” David Robertson said, “but that’s not their team.”
* Entering yesterday, Red Sox relievers had the American League’s fourth-worst ERA at 4.71. Closer Jonathan Papelbon (2.45 ERA, 5-for-6 in saves) and flamethrowing set-up man Daniel Bard (2.89 ERA) have been fine, but Bobby Jenks is on the disabled list with biceps tendinitis, and journeymen Matt Albers (righty) and Rich Hill (lefty) and former Yankee Alfredo Aceves have been seeing a lot of action.
* Carl Crawford could be getting acclimated to Boston. After signing his seven-year $142 million deal, the speedy left fielder ended April batting .155, but he’s emerged in May, batting .356 (16-for-45) and delivering two walk-off hits.
Crawford went from a small market in Tampa Bay to a large one in Boston, but CC Sabathia — who did the same in going from Cleveland/Milwaukee to New York — said he doesn’t think that was necessarily Crawford’s issue. Rather, Sabathia said he thinks it was more that Crawford had spent his whole career with one team and now had to adjust to a new one for the first time.
With Crawford (five steals), Dustin Pedroia (five) and Jacoby Ellsbury (11), the Red Sox could pose a threat to Martin behind the plate.
Martin said, “I like it when guys are on paths that can run. Means more action for me.”