A few years ago, in 2018, Nathan Eovaldi blanked the Yankees in the Division Round before turning in his legendary World Series performance. This Tuesday, Eovaldi looks to do the same, but the circumstances are different. It’s win or go home time after chaos was about to unleash if the Mariners won and the Red Sox lost. Instead, it’ll be a traditional Wild Card matchup at Fenway Park.

Nathan Eovaldi has been the de-facto ace in being an All-Star and pitching well for most of the season. Eovaldi has a history of shutting down the Yankees and hopes that his most recent start against New York was an anomaly. The Sox could go to the bullpen early if Nasty Nate struggles with potentially every pitcher on the roster available.

The Red Sox showed they are willing to be creative in piecing together their bullpen’s innings this year. Eduardo Rodriguez and Nick Pivetta turned in terrific pitching performances in relief against the Nationals and showed their reliability.

It’s time to get funky with how the Sox use their roster, especially since Jose Iglesias is ineligible for the postseason. Even though he hasn’t played much this season since coming off an injury, Christian Arroyo could be a difference-maker and has a history of clutch home runs. If Arroyo can be a poor man’s Iglesias from this season, the Sox will take it in a heartbeat.

No matter what happens on Tuesday, the Red Sox must feel good about this season. Rafael Devers has evolved into a legitimate superstar, Hunter Renfroe is a solid everyday contributor, Dalbec has turned it on lately, and the pitching staff has not broken yet. Pitching will make or break this season for the Red Sox and whether it holds up remains to be seen.

Reference Page

• MLB.com

• Baseball Reference

• GettyImages