Two of the hottest starting pitchers in the majors face off Friday night when the Boston Red Sox host the Chicago Cubs to begin a three-game series.
Boston's Kutter Crawford (1-0, 0.66 ERA) carries the top qualifying ERA in all of baseball into the weekend-opening start against Chicago rookie left-hander Shota Imanaga (3-0, 0.84).
Crawford is coming off his first win and second quality start of the season on Saturday at Pittsburgh, where he worked around seven hits and three walks to allow just one run over six innings.
"I take pride in competing and trying to work out of situations like that," Crawford said, reflecting on that outing.
As a result, Crawford's ERA is also now the best by a Red Sox starter since Roger Clemens had a 0.66 mark through his first five starts in 1991. He has not allowed a home run across his last 43 2/3 innings.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora has seen considerable growth from Crawford, 28, since the right-hander arrived in the major leagues in 2021.
"We made him a reliever. We made him a two-pitch pitcher. That was wrong from our end," Cora said. "This guy is a starter at the big-league level."
Crawford also showed that starter's ability during his only career appearance against the Cubs last July 16, striking out nine across six innings of scoreless, one-hit ball to get the victory.
After sweeping three games at Pittsburgh last weekend, the Red Sox dropped two of three in Cleveland and now return home -- where they are just 3-7 this season -- following a 6-4 loss on Thursday.
"We've got six games (at home), but we've just got to play well. That's what we want," Cora said. "We've got a tough (matchup against Imanaga). He's really good at what he does. But we've got to be ready. Friday night at Fenway. Make it fun."
Boston's Rafael Devers went 6-for-13 as the designated hitter in the Cleveland series, collecting three hits in each of the last two games. He could return to third base by the end of the Chicago series as he recovers from a knee injury.
Meanwhile, the Cubs completed their second sweep of 2024 with a 3-1 win over Houston on Thursday to cap a three-game set. Chicago has won nine of its past 12 games.
In his first start since he was called up from Triple-A Iowa after Cody Bellinger (fractured ribs) was placed on the 10-day injured list, rookie Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a go-ahead, two-run home run on Thursday to snap a 0-for-16 streak to open his career.
Crow-Armstrong had struck out against Justin Verlander in his first two at-bats in the game before going deep against Bryan Abreu in the sixth inning.
"Pete's here because of injuries, right?" Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of the highly touted, 22-year-old prospect. "And so, from that perspective, we're maybe taking a timeout (on development in the minors). But I still think big-league at-bats, big-league competition, that's development, too."
Imanaga is set to face the Red Sox for the first time. He produced his second quality start in four outings in the finale of a doubleheader against the Miami Marlins on Saturday, when he gave up three runs (two earned) in six innings. He struck out five and without issuing a walk.
"Pitches I thought weren't good definitely got hit, and ones I thought were good were fouled off or taken," Imanaga said.
A two-time Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star in his native Japan, Imanaga pitched the first 18 1/3 innings of his U.S. career without allowing an earned run until the fourth inning of his Saturday start.
"I've been freed from that spell (of allowing an earned run), so I can pitch more relaxed next game," he said.
More must-reads: