Baseball is a unique sport in more ways than one. For a team to be successful, it takes camaraderie and buy-in to reach a common goal. It is also impossible for this to happen without individual success.
We often compare a pitcher and hitter to a ‘cat and mouse,’ or a chess match where one is trying to out-smart the other. We have some pitcher/hitter matchups to be on the lookout for Thursday. Let’s take a look at the three most intriguing matchups on Thursday’s slate.
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Charlie Morton vs. Rafael Devers
Rafael Devers finally put his name in the hit column on Wednesday when he recorded a double and single in the Red Sox’ 3-0 victory against the Baltimore Orioles. Thursday will be a rubber match in this divisional series and veteran Charlie Morton will be on the bump for the O’s.
Devers will look to take the momentum he gained yesterday after an atrocious start to the season. Morton and Devers have faced off 39 times where Devers has recorded 10 hits including 2 doubles and struck out nine times. Perhaps some familiarity will help Devers return to form.
Merrill Kelly vs. Cody Bellinger
Cody Bellinger and the New York Yankees have dominated the baseball news cycle as of late thanks to their explosive offensive performances with the new torpedo style bats. Left-handed slugger Bellinger is leading that charge and gets a chance to use the trendy piece of equipment against an arm he has had decent power numbers against in the past.
Merrill Kelly will take the ball for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Bronx on Thursday. Bellinger is 7-for-26 against Kelly with two doubles and two home runs. If there is any truth to the torpedo bat giving hitters an advantage, we can expect Bellinger to rack up some extra base hits today and maybe even leave the yard.
Antonio Senzatela vs. Nick Castellanos
The Philadelphia Phillies will host the Colorado Rockies on Thursday looking for a sweep and a 5-1 start to the 2025 season. Philadelphia’s offense has plenty of weapons but the one to be on the lookout for today is outfielder Nick Castellanos.
Antonio Senzatela will take the ball for the Rockies and in the few times he has faced Castellanos, he has had very little success. Castellanos is 4-for-7 against Senzatela with two singles, a double and a triple. It is also worth noting that Senzatela has never struck out Castellanos in the eight times they have faced one another. If Castellanos can hit a home run today, he will have hit for the cycle against Senzatela in his career.