The last time the Cubs played in Fenway Park, 2013 Red Sox World Series hero Koji Uehara was on the Cubs, and former Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel was a member of the Red Sox.
The Cubs lost that game 6-2, and there isn’t a single player who played that evening who’s still on the team he played for back on April 30, 2017, unless you count Kyle Hendricks on the Cubs’ injured list.
A lot can change in seven years, that’s for sure. The teams have met at Wrigley Field each of the last two seasons, with the Cubs and Red Sox splitting those six games.
For more on the Red Sox, here’s Mike Carlucci, a contributing writer for our SB Nation Red Sox site Over The Monster.
The Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs share a lot of history – not just because both teams have been around almost forever. Fenway Park and Wrigley Field are the oldest ballparks in Major League Baseball. Both teams came within more outs of playing in the 2003 World Series. The Sox famously won the 1918 World Series leading to an 86-year championship drought. The Cubs ran their own trophy-less streak to 108 years. And each team was part of a memorable trade 20 years ago the late Boston icon Nomar Garciaparra to Chicago and brought Montreal Expos (boy it feels like history mentioning them) shortstop Orlando Cabrera to Boston. So when these teams face each other it simply feels different. The last two meetings were held at Wrigley Field in 2022 and 2023 but with the new balanced-ish schedule they should be alternating every year from now on.
Possible Probable Pitchers (yes, it’s that uncertain these days):
Kutter Crawford – He’s your pitching WAR leader tied with Zack Wheeler, teammate Tanner Houck, and Ranger Suárez. Two Phillies and two Red Sox…exactly how we all imagined April would look. The minuscule 0.66 ERA won’t last but a tidy 2.28 FIP looks pretty good. And, yes, he throws a cutter.
Josh Winckowski – Pressed into starting duty with Nick Pivetta, Garrett Whitlock, and Brayan Bello on the IL Winky has struggled in the rotation in the past but was putting together a nice season as a long reliever who could handle some higher leverage too.
He tossed 3⅓ innings in his first start of the year and threw 65 pitches in 2⅔ innings out of the pen against Baltimore. Is he more of an opener? That might depend on the Cubs.
Tanner Houck – Probably the real ace of the staff these days. He’s basically a https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1307770539302416385 of Chris Sale. He’s taken his game to the next level this season after being on the verge of bullpen duty before the injury to Lucas Giolito.
Position players:
Rafael Devers has battled injuries but can still hit with authority.
First baseman Triston Casas is out with a rib injury and strikeout machine Bobby Dalbec is filling in.
Young prospect Ceddanne Rafaela is emerging as a defensive shortstop with Trevor Story out for the season but he’s still coming around with the bat.
Second base is a three-way platoon of David Hamilton, Enmanuel Valdez, and Pablo Reyes, depending on who else is needed to patch the other holes on a given day.
Masataka Yoshida is riding the bench these days because… no one is quite sure.
Old nemesis (maybe?) Tyler O’Neill is a bright spot of the season hitting for power and getting on base.
Jarren Duran is solid. Just try to catch him on the bases.
Wilyer Abreu, acquired from the Astros for half a season of catcher Christian Vázquez in 2022, looks like he might just be an everyday outfielder. A steal. He’s doing it all right now.
Catchers Connor Wong and Reese McGuire are swinging hot bats. Until they cool off manager Alex Cora is playing fast and loose with pinch hitting appearances. Wong can fill in at second base if the defense needs to get really creative. Watch for fun!
The bullpen is a mix: Chris Martin is still tall and effective. Closer Kenley Jansen has seemed a little lost at times. And Cam Booser is a 31-year-old rookie, the oldest non-Japanese player to make his MLB debut since 1947.
Fun fact
The Cubs have played only nine previous regular-season games at Fenway Park against the Red Sox: three each in 2011, 2014 and 2017. They have won five and lost four. They also went 1-2 at Fenway in the 1918 World Series, for a total of 12 games vs. the Sox at Fenway.
But the Cubs also played 12 more games at Fenway — against the Braves.
The first four were Sept. 26 and 28-29, 1914, when the Braves were closing in on a pennant and moved the games to Fenway, which had a larger capacity than South End Grounds III. The Braves swept the series.
The next year, when the opening of Braves Field was delayed, the Cubs swept a four-game, five-day series at Fenway, May 20-22 and 24, then repeated the feat, July 22-24 and 26.
(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
Probable pitching matchups
Friday: Shōta Imanaga, LHP (3-0, 0.84 ERA, 0.750 WHIP, 2.06 FIP) vs. Kutter Crawford, RHP (1-0, 0.66 ERA, 0.988 WHIP, 2.26 FIP)
Saturday: TBD vs. Josh Winckowski, RHP (1-1, 4.20 ERA, 1.800 WHIP, 3.41 FIP)
Sunday: Jordan Wicks, LHP (1-2, 4.70 ERA, 1.522 WHIP, 3.27 FIP) vs. Tanner Houck, RHP (3-2, 1.65 ERA, 0.980 WHIP, 2.22 FIP)
I’d think Ben Brown should be on target to start the Saturday game.
Times & TV channels
Friday: 6:10 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Saturday: 3:10 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Sunday: 6:10 p.m. CT, ESPN
Prediction
Like the Cubs, the Red Sox have had their share of injuries, but have hung in there in a competitive AL East. The Cubs have loaded up on left-handed hitters to face a number of right-handed starters in upcoming games.
The Cubs are 6-6 on the road so far this year, but two of the losses (one to the Padres, one to the Diamondbacks) were of the spectacular collapse version. So they might be a better road team than their actual record.
Yes, I know I always pick “two of three” but… I’m picking two of three again.
Up next
The Cubs travel to New York for a four-game series against the Mets which begins Monday evening.
