They say anything can happen in a short series, if true, that is good news for Red Sox fans. Armed with the most dominating pitcher in baseball, Boston will try to oust a Seattle club that is near its equal at the plate, but far better on the mound. The Mariners pitchers led them to 106 victories, but in a 5 game series will have their importance diminished.
Both clubs are excellent offensively, and with similar styles. The main difference lies in the running game with Boston being last and Seattle finishing second in steals (3 Mariners had more steals than the Red Sox as a team).
The strength of the Mariner pitching staff lies in the fact that there is really no weak link. No regular starter has an ERA over 4.20. The bullpen is solid and anchored by Sasaki and Hasegawa. In contrast the Red Sox depend on a few guys to hold their staff together. One cannot overestimate the importance of Pedro, and his performance could decide the series.
Gotta pick an upset somewhere, so we'll take Pedro and Manny to upset the balanced (and hot) Seattle Mariners in 5.
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