Expect Red Sox And Yankees To Launch The Ball

Red Sox vs. Yankees, 7:05 ET

Rivalries make sports better. You probably already knew that, but what makes two teams hate each other? Is it that there have been battles over the years, is it bad blood between two specific players, or is there more to it? The hatred for other teams is handed down from generation to generation. If you like team A, you'd better hate team B. The reason? Because that's part of what we do! Boston and New York are major media markets, but both seem to have a ton of rivalries, perhaps none greater than the Red Sox and Yankees. 

Lately there hasn't been much of a rivalry as the Red Sox just haven't been that good. Even after retooling this offseason, the team is under .500 and searching for answers of how to get better. They have good young talent, they have established veterans. The pitching staff and hitting haven't been bad, so it is hard to see why they are struggling. Sometimes it clicks, and sometimes it doesn't. Look at the Mets from the past two seasons. They spent a ton of money, it didn't work, they traded away the players, then last year they were still below average, and all of a sudden went on a tear. They are now one of the best teams in baseball. It could be a similar situation for the Red Sox. Maybe tonight is the nigh that marks a shift, and Walker Buehler is the guy that gets it done for them. Buehler is 4-3 with a 4.44 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. A few years back, I picked Buehler to be my Cy Young winner. He got injured and had no shot. The reason I bring it up, though, is because he has a ton of talent. He almost certainly will never reach 200 innings in a season, or 30 starts, but when he is out there, more often than not, he gives you a chance to win. Buehler was good in the World Series last year against the Yankees, but overall they are 15-for-60 against him with four homers. 

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 20: Walker Buehler #0 of the Boston Red Sox warms up in the bullpen before game against the New York Mets at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

The Yankees have been the better of the two teams over the past few years, but they also can't quite get over the hump. It has been over a decade since they last won the World Series with their hopes dashed last year in the final series. New York has no reason to be disappointed, as they faced the Dodgers who have become the Yankees of the National League. This season is mostly about how well Aaron Judge is hitting, even without Juan Soto in the lineup. It also is about their pitching staff being very good despite not having Gerrit Cole to rely on. One guy that they probably want to get a bit more out of is today's starter, Will Warren. Warren is 3-3 with a 5.19 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. He is coming off a brutal start where he allowed seven earned runs in 1.1 innings to the aforementioned Dodgers. Outside of that, he has been fine. He doesn't go too deep into games, but he also doesn't really give up a ton of runs. He typically goes about four or five innings and allows two or runs. Surprisingly, Warren has never faced the Red Sox.

Having never faced a team can be an advantage. Warren enters the contest probably having fixed whatever issues were happening against the Dodgers. Does that mean everything is perfect again for him? No. I do think both of these starters are going to allow runs in this one though. We are taking the first five innings over. I don't like the full game as much because I think the bullpens will get calls regularly, but through five innings we should see enough runs. 

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