BOSTON — Last Saturday in Seattle Jordan Scarlett Jersey , Mariners left-hander Wade LeBlanc pitched what had to be the game of his journeyman career in outdueling Steven Wright and handing the Boston Red Sox a 1-0 defeat.
Friday night’s rematch between the two pitchers in the opener of a three-game series on Friday night at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox won the Sunday game in Seattle and then lost the first two games in Minnesota before rebounding a 9-2 win and Rick Porcello’s ninth win of the season on Thursday.
After losing the game Sunday, the Mariners were swept in a three-game series by the Yankees in the Bronx — to start a difficult 10-game swing through the East that concludes with a four-game series in Baltimore.
LeBlanc, who has been pitching well in his latest role, is 3-0 with a 2.63 ERA and has yielded only 11 earned runs in nine starts — capped by 7 2/3 shutout innings (two hits, no walks, nine strikeouts) against the Red Sox.
He is just 33-35 with a 4.23 ERA in his career, but much of the negative numbers are in the past — at least for now.
After beating the Red Sox, he said, “That’s a stout lineup over there Greedy Williams Jersey , but the fact that me and Z (catcher Mike Zunino) were able to mix things up and put them in the rocking chair makes things easier. Everything was executed and that’s really all I can say. It’s the most important thing for me — it’s to execute pitches. Today, me and Z were able to do that.”
But the team has faltered since, blowing a 5-0 lead in Wednesday’s game before losing 4-3 on Thursday.
“Coming in here, we have been playing very good baseball,” said Seattle manager Scott Servais, whose team has dropped five of its last seven. “We know what kind of ballclub they have with the power and the bullpen. I thought we were right in the game the last couple of days.
“But you have to hit on the road. You have to get big hits on the road. We just didn’t get it done. It doesn’t detract or take away from anything that we’ve done to this point. Our guys are not down at all.”
The Boston bats snoozed through the first two games in Minneapolis, wasting starts by Chris Sale and David Price. The bats broke out Thursday, avoiding the sweep and leaving the Red Sox (50-26) as one of three American League teams with 50 wins.
Wright has been outstanding since making his delayed 2018 debut (after knee surgery and a 15-game MLB suspension). He is 2-1 with a 1.23 ERA and gave up just the one losing run in the matchup with LeBlanc.
“He’s been great. Outstanding, really,” Cora said. “I heard a lot of good things about him before I got here and he’s showed why.”
He is 2-2 with a 1.31 ERA in four games (two starts) against the Mariners. Kyle Seager is 3-for-9 and Nelson Cruz 2-for-6 (both .333), and Zunino is 1-for-8 (.125) and Dee Gordon 1-for-6 (.167) against the knuckleballer.
LeBlanc is 1-0 with a 3.24 ERA in three career starts against Boston. The Current Red Sox roster is a combined 3-for-16 against him. J.D. Martinez is 2-for-3 (.667) and no one has with more than three at-bats against him.
COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP) — Easton Stick has drawn comparisons to Carson Wentz and Taysom Hill since being drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers in the fifth round two weeks ago. There’s nothing wrong with comparisons, but the first task for the fifth-round pick is learning the playbook.He’s also taking a key piece of advice that Wentz gave him to heart, which is to continue doing what got him drafted. That process started over the weekend when the Chargers held their rookie minicamp.“You can’t come out and try to reinvent yourself or be somebody that you’re not. People see through that stuff and it won’t allow you to be successful,” Stick said.Stick succeeded Wentz at North Dakota State after Wentz was the second overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016. All Stick did was become the winningest quarterback in FCS history (49-3) while leading the Bison to three national championships.Wentz has continued to mentor Stick throughout his career as the two continue to be in regular contact with each other.Stick displayed plenty of athleticism at North Dakota State.He passed for 8 Ben Powers Jersey ,693 yards and 88 touchdowns butt also rushed for 2,523 yards and 41 TDs. Offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt said the Bison’s offense was more conventional compared to other colleges and that his presence in the pocket along with throwing on the run stood out. Whisenhunt and coach Anthony Lynn also noted that Stick lined up under center more compared to other college quarterbacks, which should also put him slightly ahead.What also stood out was Stick’s ability to retain information. Whisenhunt said they quizzed Stick on three plays they sent him and that the level of recall was above average compared to other college players.“It’s still on the board in there (the quarterback room),” Whisenhunt said. “For a college football player having to learn something that’s a little bit different than what he’s done, put the time in and come back without any notice and be able to put it back up on the board was really impressive.”It is the fourth time since 2006 that the Chargers have drafted a quarterback with the hope that he would develop into a solid backup to Philip Rivers. The only time though that has been the case was in 2006, when they selected Charlie Whitehurst in the third round. Whitehurst spent six seasons with the Chargers in two stints (2006-09 and 2012-13).The plans for this season though are that Stick will vie with Cardale Jones for the third quarterback spot after the Chargers signed Tyrod Taylor to be Rivers’ backup. Stick said that Rivers has texted him but that the two have not met yet.There is the possibility that Stick could see the field if the Chargers use him like the Saints have done with Hill. New Orleans’ third-string quarterback lined up as a running back, tight end, wide receiver and was used on special teams last season. At 6-foot-1, 224-pounds http://www.ravensfootballauthentics.com/iman-marshall-jersey-authentic , Stick has the bulk and has shown the durability to take hard hits.Whisenhunt said Hill’s first task though is learning how to play quarterback in their system.“It’s hard to think that you’re just going to plug somebody into that role and think he can do it without really learning the basics of having to play quarterback,” Whisenhunt said. “He’s an athlete. He does a lot of good things athletically on the field, which you can see him do, but we are excited to see him play the quarterback position and see how he can develop at that.”While Stick was taking snaps on the practice field, first-round pick Jerry Tillery continues to rehab from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. The defensive tackle remains on track to be cleared for contact by the start of training camp in late July.