Martinez and Betts, MLB's Best Hitting Tandem, Have Red Sox on Record Home Run Pace

The top hitting duo in MLB resides in the American League East. No, it’s not the New York Yankees’ slugging combo of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Instead, it’s Boston’s tandem of Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez.

The addition of Martinez, who signed a 5-year, $110 million contract with the Red Sox during the first week of Spring Training, to Boston’s power-starved offense—which ranked last in the American League in home runs last season—was (understandably) overshadowed by the Yankees’ acquisition of Stanton in a blockbuster trade with the Miami Marlins. But through nearly two months of the season, Martinez has panned out as baseball's best offseason addition.

Martinez blasted two homers on Sunday, the first one wrapping around Fenway Park's Pesky Pole in right field.

J.D. Martinez goes oppo-🌮 ... because what else is new? #RedSox pic.twitter.com/obqTYUAzqI

— NESN (@NESN) May 20, 2018

Connecting for a two-run shot in the fifth inning, Martinez collected his eighth career multi-homer game and his first with the Red Sox.

Your HR leaderboard update:
Mookie Betts - 15@JDMartinez14 – 15

This is getting absurd. pic.twitter.com/5d5ZgcOr22

— MLB (@MLB) May 20, 2018

Martinez and Betts are tied atop the MLB leaderboard in homers with 15 and have led Boston to a historic home run pace. The Red Sox have launched an MLB-leading 68 home runs. That is the most home runs the Red Sox (32-15) have ever mashed in the first 47 games of a season.

J.D. Martinez hit two homers in Boston's 5-0 win over Baltimore. (Michael Dwyer/AP)

The Red Sox are the first team since the 2001 Colorado Rockies to have two players hit 15 or more homers through 47 games. Not even the duo of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, one of the deadliest hitting combos in baseball history, accomplished this feat.

“The two guys I thought did it, Manny and David, never did it,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “It’s fun to watch. There’s nothing else I can say, it’s fun to watch.”

Martinez has 10 home runs in the last 18 games. Only Baltimore’s Manny Machado has more RBIs (42) this season than Martinez, who has drove in 41 runs. Martinez has recorded at least one extra-base hit in 23 games, the most in MLB. He’s on pace to belt a career-high 54 dingers.

While Martinez is the hottest hitter in baseball, Betts maintains the best résumé of the 2018 season. Betts leads MLB in batting (.365), runs, slugging, doubles and OPS. Boston’s leadoff hitter is also tied for the league-lead in hits and ranks second in OBP and WAR, trailing only Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout in those two categories.

Betts and the red-hot Martinez have the Red Sox—who are on pace to smash a franchise-record 234 homers—in position to be the best power hitting team in the league. That’s quite the turnaround from last season’s club, which clubbed an AL-worst 168 home runs.

Rockets' Role Players Shrink in Game 1 Loss

The Golden State Warriors demonstrated on Monday night why it is such a grueling task to defeat them come playoff time. The opposition must execute close to perfection. The Houston Rockets failed to do that in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals and now face a must-win contest on Wednesday night at the Toyota Center.

James Harden, expected to be named the league’s Most Valuable Player, performed at an MVP level—but so did Kevin Durant in the Warriors' 119-106 victory. While Harden scored a game-best 41 points, Durant recorded 37 of his own. Chris Paul, who posted 23 points, 11 rebounds and two steals, was on par with two-time MVP Stephen Curry (18 points, eight assists, two steals and one block).

Review of the game tape and a quick glance at the box score shows that both teams’ superstar duos came to play and essentially offset one another other. But the remaining cast of the Warriors severely outplayed Houston’s. There lies the problem for the Rockets. They don’t have the depth of talent to go neck-and-neck with the Warriors. No NBA team does.

On a night where the Rockets needed Clint Capela (who is far more than just a role player, as these playoffs have shown, but still clearly playing third fiddle to Harden and Paul) to dominate on both ends, he was instead held in check. Houston's center scored just 12 points (mostly off alley-oops) and had just six rebounds—the same amount as Curry.

P.J. Tucker, fresh off scoring 19 and 15 in his last two playoff contests, respectively, had one measly point. He missed all three field goal attempts and went 1-of-3 shooting from the charity stripe. Luc Mbah a Moute couldn’t muster a single point on 0-for-6 shooting, while Trevor Ariza registered just eight points.

Trevor Ariza struggled mightily against the Warriors in Game 1. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle)

The aforementioned forwards need to hit outside jumpers for Houston to have a chance this series. Tucker, Mbah a Moute and Ariza went a combined 1-for-9 from behind the arc. They didn’t make an impact on the glass (11 rebounds combined) and had no answer for Durant.

Ariza picked up his fifth foul less than three minutes into the second half. Tucker ended up spending the most time guarding Durant, who used his height to shoot over the top of Tucker. Mbah a Moute actually has the length to defend Durant, but struggled against him in limited chances and put forth a brutal overall showing—as evidenced by his game-worst minus -14 in 20 minutes of action.

Eric Gordon was the only non-star to deliver on offense for the Rockets. The 2017 Sixth Man of the Year had 15 points, five rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes. However, he turned the ball over four times, struggled on the defensive end and posted a minus-10.

So while Houston relied on Capela, Gordon, Tucker, Mbah a Moute and Ariza to aid its superstar duo, Golden State leaned on the likes of Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala to compliment its superstar pair. Advantage, Golden State.

Thompson had a field day, hitting six treys en route to a 28-point showing, while Green delivered his typical all-around offensive performance (five points, nine rebounds, a team-high nine assists) and stellar defense, which included a couple of steals and blocks.

Iguodala didn’t have nearly the statistical output as Thompson and Green, but his insertion into the starting unit (their “death lineup”) caused all sorts of problems for the Rockets, who were forced to sit Capela during some important stretches of the game to combat Golden State’s smaller unit.

The Rockets are counting on guys outside of Paul and Harden to come through in Game 2. If they don’t, the Rockets will likely be staring at an 0-2 series deficit, which all but ends their upset hopes.

Marcus Morris Shuts Down LeBron, Backing up Pregame Claims

For the first time all postseason, LeBron James did not lead his team in scoring. Kevin Love scored a team-high 17 points for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who got pummeled by the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. James has had some historic postseason games at TD Garden, but struggled mightily on Sunday—posting just 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting with seven turnovers—in a demoralizing 108-83 defeat.

It certainly took a team effort to shut down James, but Marcus Morris was the driving force behind the Celtics containing the NBA’s best player. Morris guarded James on a team-high 39 possessions and held him to 3-of-10 shooting with five assists and four turnovers in those instances. James missed all five of his three-point attempts and was never able to get into a rhythm offensively.

Morris played suffocating defense on James in the Celtics' Game 1 win. (David Butler II/USA Today Sports)

Before Game 1, Morris praised his ability to guard James.

"Personally, I think I’m probably the best guy defending him in the league, outside of Kawhi [Leonard],” Morris said.

Earning the start over center Aron Baynes as the Celtics went with their small-ball starting unit, Morris backed up his claims in the series opener. The 6'-9” forward used his strength and toughness to slow down James, who looked out of sorts all afternoon and finished with a stunning minus -32. It was just one game in what is expected to be a long series, but there is an extended history of “Mook” containing “The King”—proving that Morris' lofty claims have some serious merit.

UPDATED – LeBron's last 12 Games vs. a Marcus Morris team
– 20.6 PPG
– 14.6% from 3
– Has not reached 30 points in a single gamehttps://t.co/ajQR7pQppT

— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) May 13, 2018

Not only did Morris play terrific defense, he also had a strong game on the offensive end, posting 21 points with a team-best 10 rebounds. Morris says the injury-riddled Celtics—who were underdogs on Sunday for the fifth time in six games (5-1 record in those contests)—believe they are capable of defeating any opponent.

“Our confidence is very high,” Morris said. “The younger guys to the older guys, we think we can compete and play with anybody. At the end of the day, all the talking done off the court. Once we step between them lines, we have to compete no matter who we have out there, and that's what we've been doing.”

How Rockets Can Upset Warriors

The Houston Rockets won a league-best 65 games in the regular season and have lost just two games this postseason, but will enter the Western Conference Finals as underdogs against the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors. The Warriors are listed as -185 favorites to win the series, according to the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas. However, the Rockets are currently favored to win Game 1 of the West Finals on Monday night in Houston.

Oddsmakers shouldn’t be ostracized for leaning towards the Warriors over the top-seeded Rockets. Golden State, after all, has posted a 24-3 record over the past two postseasons and has yet to even partake in a series longer than five games since Kevin Durant ditched Oklahoma City for the heavyweight Warriors.

Although it’s tough to foresee the Rockets dethroning the Warriors, here are three factors that could make it possible:

Chris Paul Outplays Stephen Curry

Advancing to the conference finals for the first time in his career, Chris Paul needs to perform at the same superstar level as he did against the Utah Jazz last round. Paul scored 41 points in the Rockets’ series-clinching victory over the Jazz, shooting 13-of-22 shooting from the field—including 8-of-10 from three-point land—and added 10 assists (zero turnovers) with seven rebounds and a steal.

Chris Paul will go head-to-head against Stephen Curry. (Kyle Terada/USA Today Sports)

Paul is certainly capable of outshining two-time MVP Stephen Curry on the big stage. For all the negativity associated with CP3 and his lack of team playoff success, he ranks fifth all-time in postseason assists per contest. Paul, a seven-time member of the NBA All-Defensive First Team, must be physical against Curry, particularly when guarding him away from the ball. The more off-the-ball pressure Paul can provide, the less pick-and-roll opportunities will be available for Curry, who is all but unstoppable in the two-man game on offense.

Clint Capela Maintains Dominance

Clint Capela, a restricted free agent this summer, was a borderline All-Star during the regular season and has shined thus far in the postseason. Houston’s center outplayed his counterparts Karl Anthony-Towns and Rudy Gobert in successive series. The 7-footer will be challenged, though, by Golden State’s “death lineup,” which features Draymond Green at center.

The Warriors will likely open with their small-ball lineup as they did at the end of their last series against the New Orleans Pelicans. In the past, centers have been pushed off the floor by the quickness of this lineup because it steers the opposing big men away from the hoop. Capela is shifty for a player his size and possesses the ability to keep up with the Warriors’ fast-paced offense. Furthermore, Capela can overpower any player on Golden State’s roster and can be particularly effective in the post versus the death lineup. If things going according to plan, Capela will defend the Warriors’ smaller players well and dominate the paint on offense as he done all playoffs long.

Mbah a Moute and Tucker Play Strong Defense, Hit 3s

The Rockets will rely on Trevor Ariza on defense against Durant to start the game. But offseason additions Luc Mbah a Moute and P.J. Tucker will be tasked with guarding the superstar forward for portions of the contest as well. Mbah a Moute provides more length against Durant, while Tucker is a more physical defender. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey constructed his roster to match up with the Warriors—even admitting he was obsessed with beating the champs—and brought both players to Houston with an eye on slowing down Durant by bodying him and forcing him to take difficult jump shots.

Mbah a Moute and Tucker are both defensive specialists who don’t provide much offense. As Golden State hones their defense on James Harden, Paul and Capela, forwards Mbah a Moute and Tucker will be often left alone on the perimeter to shoot threes. Tucker has been effective from behind the arc this postseason, making 22-of-48 (45.8 percent) of his 3s. Mbah a Moute missed the first round and made just two of his 10 3s versus the Jazz, but the 31-year-old did hit a career-high 63 three-pointers in the regular season, despite missing 21 games to injury. When Harden and Paul penetrate to the basket, Mbah a Moute and Tucker will be the open men who need to make shots to keep the Warriors’ defense honest and limit their double-teams.

Timberwolves' Disappointing Season Ends in Game 5 Rout

            The Minnesota Timberwolves reached the postseason for the first time since 2004. Two of their players, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jimmy Butler, represented the franchise at the 2018 All-Star festivities. And yet by most measures, this was a dissatisfying season for the Wolves.

            Finishing eighth in the conference and grabbing just one playoff win cannot be considered a success for a team expected to post a top-5 record in the West. The Houston Rockets dispatched the Wolves in five games in the first round of the 2018 postseason, culminating with a convincing 122-104 Game 5 win on Wednesday night. Three of the contests in the series were blowouts, including a Game 4 home loss for Minnesota in which they allowed 50 points in the third quarter.

James Harden and Chris Paul, Houston’s star-studded backcourt, outperformed the Wolves’ duo of Towns and Butler.

Towns was even outplayed by his center counterpart Clint Capela, who is one of the league’s most improved players this season. Capela brought more energy on both sides of the court.

Capela recorded 24 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in the opening playoff game. Towns had just eight points in the 104-101 Game 1 loss for Minnesota, which missed a golden opportunity to steal home court advantage from the top-seeded Rockets. 

Closing out the series in strong fashion, Capela registered game highs in points (26) and rebounds (15), going 12-of-14 from the field in Game 5. For the series, Capela posted better offensive statistics than Towns—something few could have predicted before the series began. He had averages of 15.8 points and 14.2 rebounds, compared to 15.2 points and 13.4 rebounds per contest for Towns.

Capela outplayed Towns for the majority of the series. (Michael Ciago/Houston Chronicle)

Meanwhile, Andrew Wiggins failed to make a significant impact for the Wolves all series, a microcosm of his underwhelming season. The 23-year-old signed a massive contract extension in October—a 5-year, $145.6 million deal that kicks in next season. He remains one of the league’s weakest defenders and offers little outside of scoring.

Butler is eligible for a maximum contract extension in the summer of 2019 and Towns will eventually command a max deal as well. That means the Wolves will feature Towns, Butler and Wiggins for the foreseeable future—a “Big 3” that pales in comparison to the league’s most dominant trios.

            While Tom Thibodeau helped the Wolves reach the postseason, the 2012 NBA Coach of the Year has ran into the same problems as he did in Chicago. This is fitting given that, as the team's president of basketball operations, Thibodeau acquired some of his former Bulls players, including Butler, Taj Gibson, Derrick Rose and Aaron Brooks. He still plays his starters far too long. Towns and Wiggins ranked in the top-15 in total minutes played, while Butler (who missed 23 games this season) ranked in the top-10 in minutes (36.7) per contest. Gibson averaged 33.3 minutes per game.

Thibodeau was frustrated throughout most of Minnesota's five playoff contests. (Jim Mone/AP)

            Thibodeau was brought in for his supposed defensive prowess, but the Wolves ranked 17^th in points allowed per game. Towns has the potential to improve defensively, but Wiggins seems hopeless on that side of the ball and he is under contract through the 2022-23 season.

            The Wolves broke their 14-year playoff drought. But if this season is any indication, they are far from being title contenders.

Yankees Starters Flop in First Test vs Red Sox

            The New York Yankees had their pitching rotation’s purported top-3 starters—Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka and Sonny Gray—aligned for their midweek series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

            All three fell flat on their faces versus their division rivals.

            Severino, the ace of the staff, relinquished five runs in five innings in the series opener. After posting a 1.38 ERA in his first two starts, he allowed a run to score in the first and three more in the second frame as Boston cruised to an eventual 14-1 victory.

Severino had a disappointing outing versus the Red Sox on Tuesday. (Michael Dwyer/AP)

            Aaron Boone, the rookie manager, even suggested the 24-year-old Severino may have been tipping his pitches.

             "We've addressed certain things in the past," Boone told The New York Post. "We've noticed things from time to time. We're always as vigilant as we can be with what he may or may not be doing."

            Although the Yankees won the next game—a contest highlighted by the brawl sparked by Boston’s reliever Joe Kelly and New York’s Tyler Austin—Tanaka was far from sharp on the mound. After the offense gifted him an 8-1 lead, Tanaka let the Red Sox back in striking distance after surrendering a grand slam to Red Sox newcomer J.D. Martinez in a five-run fifth inning. Tanaka managed to get the win, despite giving up six runs in five innings, but the Yankees couldn’t have been encouraged by his performance.

            Gray had the worst showing of the three. He gave up six runs and only lasted three innings, forcing the bullpen into a heavy duty day of work. The relievers registered five scoreless innings, but Gray dug the Yankees too big of a hole to recover as a late rally in the ninth fell short in a 6-3 defeat.

Gray struggled at a rainy Fenway Park on Thursday night. (Winslow Townson/AP)

            Boone recognized Gray’s struggles and noted how the right-hander will be a determining factor in the Yankees success this season.

            “It’s frustrating because he’s really important for us and we know what he’s capable of,” Boone said. “He’s coming off an outing where he gave us six strong innings and we feel like it will turn around for him, but tonight wasn’t the night.”

            The rotation was not expected to be the strong suit of the Yankees. The strengths of this team lie in the power hitting of the middle of the lineup and its top-notch bullpen. But the Yankees’ rotation can’t be this weak of a link if they are truly to contend for a championship.

          The starters have to perform better than this, especially against a Red Sox club that figures to be the Yankees’ biggest competition in the American League East.

Rockets' Morey Tops Celtics' Ainge for Executive of the Year

Danny Ainge pulled off the firework offseason that the Boston Celtics had promised fans for years in the summer of 2017. A decade after acquiring future Hall of Famers Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett in separate trades, Ainge landed perennial All-Star Kyrie Irving in a blockbuster deal with the rival Cleveland Cavaliers and signed All-Star Gordon Hayward to the most lucrative contract in franchise history.

Not only did Ainge acquire Irving and Hayward, he also fleeced the Philadelphia 76ers in a deal that netted Jayson Tatum and a future first-round pick. Tatum is expected to finish third in Rookie of the Year voting, while the 76ers traded up for the top pick with Boston to select Markelle Fultz, who had a disastrous first season in the league and even forgot how to shoot.

Danny Ainge acquired two All-Stars this offseason. (Elise Amendola/AP Photo)

Boston's offseason changes also included the free agent signings of big men Aron Baynes and Daniel Theis, in addition to the initially-scrutinized trade with the Detroit Pistons that swapped Avery Bradley for Marcus Morris. It was arguably an A+ summer for Ainge—yet his offseason excellence shouldn’t earn him the Executive of the Year award. Instead that honor should go to Daryl Morey, the Houston Rockets general manager.

It’s an unfair reality that Hayward only played one game for the Celtics. A freak injury suffered to his leg on opening night sidelined him for the entire season and robbed him of the chance to contribute for the Celtics. Unlike Hayward, Morey’s prized offseason addition, Chris Paul, made a splash in his first season in Houston and helped lead the Rockets to the best record in the NBA.

Morey brought Paul to Houston in a stunning trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. Paul and MVP favorite James Harden, who Morey landed in a trade in the 2012 offseason, formed a dynamic duo that spearheaded the best regular season mark (65-17) in franchise history.

Harden—the league’s leader in scoring and player efficiency rating (PER)—and Paul are easily the best backcourt court in basketball. They average a combined 49.0 points and 16.7 assists per contest. Paul has posted a 55% effective field goal percentage, while Harden owns a 54.1% mark.

Paul was just one of the widely successful offseason moves Morey made. The bench was bolstered through the signings of defensive stalwarts P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute. Tucker and Mbah a Moute have built the Rockets into a top-eight defense. Tucker and Mbah a Moute allow the Rockets to hide guys like Harden and Eric Gordon on the defensive end, both of whom have struggled  in times on that side of the ball.

Daryl Morey has built the Rockets into a championship contender. (Bob Levey/Getty Images)

In rare occasions, the Rockets have used Mbah a Moute and Tucker at the 5 and 4, respectively. When doing so, Houston has outpaced opponents by 38.4 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning The Glass. This could be a lineup utilized for stretches when the Rockets inevitably play the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. The Rockets will counter the Warriors’ “death lineup”—which features Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green—with the length of Mbah a Moute and Tucker, rotating in-and-out starting small forward Trevor Ariza.

Morey managed to augment the bench during the season, too. He inked free agent guard/forward Gerald Green to a 1-year, veteran minimum deal in late December. The 32-year-old Green emerged as a reliable scorer off the bench, producing per game averages of 12.1 points over 22.7 minutes.

New additions galore, the Rockets cruised through the regular season. They were the only team to win 60+ games and clinched home court advantage throughout the playoffs two weeks before the season had even ended. The Rockets dominated the regular season because of the shrewd moves by Morey, who should be recognized as the 2017-18 Executive of the Year.