Red Sox ready for bounce-back effort vs. M’s
While Boston has no offensive equal in the American League, the back of the rotation could use a little help. That’s where Roenis Elias comes in.
The squad’s new No. 5 starter takes on some familiar faces in the Seattle dugout this evening, with a 7:10 p.m. ET first pitch at Fenway Park. Handicappers at online sports book BetDSI remain partial to John Farrell’s troops, whereas the Mariners represent +110 underdogs to snatch the series opener. The over/under run total sits at 10.
Elias spent his first two seasons in the Pacific Northwest, compiling a 15-20 record in 51 appearances. M’s general manager Jerry Dipoto shipped the lefty to the Red Sox in December, though. The native of Cuba failed to make the team out of spring training, which turned out to be exceedingly bad news for the Class AAA opposition. As a member of Pawtucket’s staff, Elias went 4-0 with a 2.00 ERA.
Now, Boston’s giving him a shot to fill the void left by Clay Buchholz’s elbow injury. Elias’ initial test: the Mariners, who lead the AL West in runs scored (330), homers (97), RBIs (319), slugging percentage (.439) and OPS (.769). Seattle also topped Tampa Bay last night, 5-4, to snap a four-game losing streak.
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Even if Elias struggles to venture deep into the proceedings, however, he should know that the Red Sox are liable to batter Hisashi Iwakuma (5-5, 4.10 ERA). Scott Servais’s veteran hurler totes a 0-1 mark with a 10.20 ERA in four lifetime assignments against the AL East stalwarts. David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia and the rest of the crew undoubtedly long to remove the bitter taste from that just-completed set vs. Baltimore.
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