Red Sox ‘Lefty Issue’ Could Become Solution During Playoffs, Says Insider

Boston's lineup is full of left-handed hitters

Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

The Boston Red Sox lineup features mostly lefties, which has been viewed as a problem for some time.

Boston’s chief baseball officer Craig Breslow acknowledged the issue when he snagged right-handed hitting Danny Jansen at the deadline.

The Red Sox are also expecting the imminent return of righty slugger Tyler O’Neill once his leg infection heals.

On the other hand, is Boston’s widely discussed lefty problem completely overblown?

An interesting narrative has surfaced this week via Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic: the Red Sox might benefit from being lefty-heavy once the playoffs start (assuming they make it).

“NBC Sports Boston’s John Tomase raised a good point this week,” McCaffrey said on Wednesday. “While the Red Sox have had struggles against left-handed starters (.735 OPS) compared to right-handers (.792 OPS), the teams they’ll be facing in the postseason don’t have many lefties in their top three rotation spots.”

“The Mariners and Twins have solely right-handed rotations and while the Orioles have lefty Cole Irvin, he likely wouldn’t be in the mix … Same goes for Cleveland, which features a right-handed rotation outside of lone lefty in Logan Allen, who might make a start.”

“The Yankees have two lefties in Nestor Cortes and Carlos Rodón, but the Red Sox have won three of the four games they’ve started against them. Kansas City’s Ragans is tough, but not untouchable. … Getting to the postseason is the first part of the equation, of course, but with the firepower of the Red Sox’s offense, the lefty issue might not be as much of a problem as it was once assumed.”

Playoff success often involves good fortune, and it appears that the Red Sox might be experiencing the luck of the draw when it comes to their potential postseason opponents.

Of course, Boston still has a ton of work to do to make the playoffs.

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