Game 122: Red Sox at Orioles, Little League Edition

It’s a Sunday night game on ESPN and, often, that means a marque matchup like Dodgers and Giants, Red Sox and Yankees not Boston and Baltimore at a little league park. But that’s what we’ve got on tap for today: the Red Sox and Orioles are in Williamsport, Pennsylvania to play one game at the Muncy Bank Ballpark at Bowman Field, home of the Little League World Series. That’s a mouthful. The stadium is a bit on the small side capacity wise, seating just 2,366 fans. So if you’re not a little leaguer there for the game, you’re probably watching this one on TV. The players are having some fun with the kids. One way to grow the game: direct interaction!

Originally called Memorial Field, the park opened in 1926, a mere 14 years after Fenway Park. It would easily be among the oldest fields in MLB. So, feel right at home!

Franchy Cordero is back as the 27th man on the roster for the day, or longer if another roster move is made. Cordero has been on fire in Triple A this season with a combined .325/.397/.590 across his stints with the Worcerster Red Sox. He might have struggled in Boston on both sides of the ball but he’s mashing at one level down. Quad A player? Well, maybe. MLB is a tough place to play.

Christian Arroyo stayed hot last night with three more hits. That’s 9 in his last 4 games. And since returning to the Sox at the end of July is good for a .397/.429/.548 line. Don’t look now but Alex Verdugo has hit .369/.446/.539 this month. While Bogaerts, Devers, and Martinez have slumped a few bats have roared to life.

Starter Nick Pivetta has had a tough time after his May-June run of success. But slowly he’s been figuring things out again. Since bottoming out with 6 and 7 run performances (two against the Yankees, one against Tampa) Pivetta has looked somewhat better He’s put up a 3.45 ERA (4.27 FIP, it’s all all sunshine in Pivetta world).

Pivetta is opposed by Dean Kremer. FWIW he started against the Sox at Fenway on August 11 and allowed 4 runs in 5.2 innings. He’s usually in the game for around five innings and hasn’t thrown 100 pitches in a game this season. He’s limited his walks, striking out about 3.5 batters per free pass.

It’s another game the Sox need to win. Take the series. Move a little closer to the pack. Get back to .500. It’s been this way for a while and the season is starting to wind down. How long will Boston remain relevant?