The word of the day is youth for the Tampa Bay Rays (36-33) today in their matinee matchup with the Boston Red Sox (42-29), with hotshot pitching prospect Chris Archer (1-2, 4.80 ERA) on the hill and prized outfield prospect Wil Myers hitting the Major Leagues for the first time. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. in Fenway Park, and the game can be live streamed here. Rays fans trying to listen to the game may do so on WDAE 620, while Red Sox Nation can hear the action on WEEI 93.7.
Wil Myers was sent to the Rays in exchange for "Big Game" James Shields, who was an innings-eater of the highest order for manager Joe Maddon, so his impact is expected to be powerful and rapid.
This season at Triple A Durham, Myers was hitting .286 with 14 home runs and 57 RBI. Last season he posted crazy numbers between Double A and Triple A; he batted a combined .314 with 37 home runs and 109 RBI, to go with a .987 OPS.
Myers joins a Rays team that is already third in the American League in runs per game, (4.83) and while he will grab the headlines, Archer's performance will be more important.
Tampa Bay has long relied on their starting pitching to carry a streaky offense, but since dealing Shields the rotation has faltered. David Price struggled mightily this season before going on the disabled list, and Jeremy Hellickson has been a major disappointment in 2013.
Archer was 5-3 with a 3.96 ERA at Triple A Durham this season with a 9.4 strikeout per nine innings ratio. His walks were concerning in the minors though, and Boston's lineup is full of work-the-count type veteran bats.
Boston will counter Archer with Felix Doubront (4-3, 4.91 ERA), so this could be a high-scoring affair.
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