Stacks of the Day - Red Sox, Blue Jays Should Continue Their Slugging Ways
Here are the top stacks for Sunday, April 9:
Boston Red Sox (at Blue Jays)
The Red Sox have scored eight runs in each of the first two games at the Rogers Centre; they've scored no fewer than six runs in any of their four games this season. The damage has been done without much help from OF Mookie Betts, who's managed only three hits in 19 at-bats and has one home run and three RBI on the season. Utility man Brock Holt is batting .412 with two home runs and eight RBI, though won't start Sunday.
Marco Estrada will make his first start of 2016 for the Blue Jays; last season, he famously posted career-bests in wins (13) and ERA (3.13) on the strength of an extremely low (and likely unsustainable) .216 BABIP.
3-player stack: David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Xander Bogaerts
5-player stack: Ortiz, Pedroia, Bogaerts, Betts, Hanley Ramirez
Toronto Blue Jays (vs. Red Sox)
Toronto has scored 11 runs over its two losses to the Red Sox, and is set to face kunckleballer Steven Wright, who, in his last appearance against the Blue Jays in June 2015, allowed four hits and three runs in two innings.
Despite the team's middling record, Toronto's big guns have been firing on all cylinders to open the season, with Jose Bautista (.361 BA, two HR, four RBI) and Josh Donaldson (.280 BA, three HR, eight RBI) off to strong starts. Leadoff hitter Kevin Pillar is batting just .200, but has had 25 at-bats through six games, affording him plenty of chances to get on base ahead of Toronto's heavy hitters.
3-player stack: Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Kevin Pillar
5-player stack: Donaldson, Bautista, Pillar, Edwin Encarnacion, Ryan Goins
San Diego Padres (at Rockies)
A trip to Coors Field was enough to cure San Diego's offensive woes, as the Padres have scored 13 and 16 runs in consecutive games after failing to record a single run in a season-opening three-game series at home to the Dodgers.
OF Matt Kemp has been the breakout performer, with three home runs and 10 RBI in the past two games. Cory Spangenberg, Melvin Upton Jr. and Jon Jay have scored four runs each, and Wil Myers is batting .318 despite not having much in the way of counting stats besides one HR.
Expected Rockies SP Chad Bettis has a career 5.31 ERA, and allowed seven hits and five runs in his first start of 2016, an 11-6 loss in Arizona.
3-player stack: Matt Kemp, Jon Jay, Wil Myers
5-player stack: Kemp, Jay, Myers, Melvin Upton Jr., Christian Bethancourt