The Boston Red Sox take on the San Diego Padres this weekend in a pivotal showdown between two of the hottest teams in baseball .

Both teams enter this weekend’s series at Petco Park on fire. Since July 1, the Red Sox are 21-8 (best in American League), while the Padres are 19-12 (second-best in National League). They’re both in playoff position and have nearly identical records.

Boston will face two former Red Sox players in Friday’s series opener: Xander Bogaerts and Nick Pivetta.

Bogaerts has had a down season by his standards, batting .271/.340/.398 with nine homers and 40 RBI in 113 games. The veteran shortstop is off to a great start in August, however, slashing .333/.346/.625 with two homers and eight hits in six games this month.

Meanwhile, Pivetta might be the most underra

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