Game 2: Tuesday, September 8th – 7:10 ET
R.A. Dickey (10-10, 4.09) vs. Henry Owens (2-2, 5.87)
The knuckler looks to move back above .500 on Tuesday, something that didn’t seem possible several weeks ago. I’m not sure I’ll ever be comfortable with the volatile nature of Dickey’s repertoire in a playoff scenario, but after some rough outings in mid-t0-late August, the veteran bounced back with one of his strongest starts in blue and white.
Against the Cleveland Indians on September 2nd, Dickey pitched a complete game and looked near-perfect. He allowed just one earned run on four hits, striking out six and walking nobody. Dickey’s walks have really come back under control since some troubles locating the knucklball earlier in the season, which allows him to be more flexible with his velocity.
Red Sox 23-year old lefty prospect Henry Owens will take the mound to face Dickey, and while he’s a name to fear in the coming years, he hasn’t quite found it yet at the MLB level. Owens has flashed his talent through six starts, but in his last outing against the New York Yankees, he failed to escape the second inning while allowing seven earned runs. As a lefty, this could be a prime matchup for the Blue Jays.
Next: Game 3 Preview: Hutch fighting for his life