The Boston Red Sox, who were in last place before altering their season with a 27-3 run, will visit the Miami Marlins on Monday night for the opener of a three-game series.
Following their franchise-record 30-game run, the Red Sox staggered. They went 2-7 before getting back on track with a 5-1 homestand that concluded on Sunday with a 5-4 win over the San Francisco Giants.
Perhaps the biggest example of Boston’s turnaround is third baseman Caleb Durbin, who had a .530 OPS with just one home run through the end of May. Since then, he has an .859 OPS with 11 homers.
But the three biggest offensive producers in the Red Sox lineup this year are first baseman Willson Contreras, right fielder Wilyer Abreu and center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela.
Contreras, 34, still has elite bat speed and good plate discipline. He leads the Red Sox with a career-high 26 homers and also tops Boston regulars in OPS (.925) and RBIs (78).
Abreu, who has an .800 OPS, is second on the team in doubles (27), homers (22) and RBIs (69).
Rafaela, who has a .791 OPS, leads Boston in batting average (.289), doubles (32) and ranks fourth in homers (16) and third in RBIs (66).
“If we stay with our approach, we feel like we’re going to score more than three (runs per game),” Boston interim manager Chad Tracy said.
On the mound on Monday, Boston will start left-hander Ranger Suarez (5-3, 3.41 ERA). In 22 career appearances (11 starts) against the Marlins, he is 7-2 with a 3.07 ERA, and he is 6-2 with a 2.47 ERA in 14 appearances at Miami’s loanDepot Park.
Meanwhile, the Marlins — just like the Red Sox — are coming off a three-game home sweep. Miami took down Washington for its ninth sweep of the season. Seven of those sweeps have come at home, where the Marlins are 41-25.
Only three teams have more home wins than the Marlins — the Tampa Bay Rays, Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers. Those three are all first-place teams while the Marlins are outside of a playoff spot in the National League.
Joe Mack, Miami’s impressive rookie catcher, said the Marlins have become a cohesive team at home.
“We rally together,” he said. “We put together good at-bats, and we have an amazing group of fans who support us every day. We love them.”
Since May 22, Miami is 26-10 at home, having won 10 of 12 series there.
The Marlins will try to continue their home success on Monday night when they start their wins leader, right-hander Sandy Alcantara (13-8, 3.46 ERA).
In three career starts against Boston, he is 1-1 with a 1.42 ERA.
Another key for Miami is outfielder Heriberto Hernandez, especially against a left-handed pitcher such as Suarez. Hernandez leads the Marlins with a career-high 19 homers. Miami is 15-2 when Hernandez goes deep, and he leads the team with a .548 slugging percentage against lefties.
The Marlins also have a lot of speed, ranking second in the majors with 132 steals. Esteury Ruiz leads the team with 29.
–Field Level Media
