Let's hope the action is a lot better than it has been since the All-Star break.
Since the feel-good days of early July, Boston has accumulated its share of struggles. The Red Sox are 16-22, collecting three 4-game losing streaks in this span. They righted the ship by winning a couple against the Toronto Blue Jays, but bats went silent on Thursday night and Boston lost 2-0.
True, Boston has had one of the more difficult schedules the last two months. Winning the A.L. East is likely out of the question, with the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles controlling the division. Boston is nine games out of first, with eyes are more firmly set on a Wild Card spot.
Currently, Boston trails the Minnesota Twins by 3.5 games for the final Wild Card spot in the American League.
Final days of August and the September schedule presents plenty of hurdles for Boston. And the Red Sox are going to need a lot more complete team efforts if they hope to reach the playoffs.
Pitchers slump, batters decent
A lot of Boston's struggles since July point to the pitching staff. The bullpen is the primary culprit, dealing with injuries amidst simply not getting the job done. Kenley Jansen (25 saves) has been mostly solid but Boston has been forced to juggle bullpen pitchers almost daily. In some instances, manager Alex Cora has been forced to utilize an opener every five days.
The trade deadline acquisitions who were supposed to help stabilize the bullpen did anything but. Luis Garcia, in 11 appearances, posted a 10.32 ERA before right should inflammation landed him on the IL. Lucas Sims is also there with a right Lat strain and made 11 appearances, with an ERA of 8.10.
Starting pitching also slumped, with the top-end who burned so bright in the first half now reaching career highs in innings pitched. Results have been mediocre, with generally only one or two innings doing the starters in.
Tanner Houck (8-9, 3.23 ERA) has been the most consistent but even he ran into some trouble the last six weeks. Despite ups and downs, Houck has pitched six or more innings in his last four starts.
Ace Brayan Bello has been coming along. Bello had his best outing of the season on Wednesday night, pitching eight innings of shutout, two-hit ball while striking out nine. This completed a month where Bello went 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA, pitching 30 innings and striking out 28. (Though issuing walks remains an issue).
On the offense side, the Red Sox are consistent but not overpowering. They do run into problems with runners in scoring position and are hampered by injuries of their own.
Star slugger Rafael Devers has sat out the last couple games due to shoulder injuries that have been hampering him all season.
Jarren Duran continues to have a historic season and the return of two previously injured players have been bright spots.
The return of Triston Casas has been a delight. Before a 0 for 3 performance in Thursday's loss, Casas was hitting .333 in 12 games since coming of the IL. He has picked up hits in nine of those games, with two home runs and seven RBI.
Masataka Yoshida has been back for some time and finally got going in August. Prior to Thursday, Yoshida was hitting .341 in August, raising his average to .297. Yoshida has four games in which he collected three or more hits and has six doubles, four home runs, and an OPS of .935.
Still unknown is the bolster Trevor Story can provide if he makes it back for the stretch run. No matter, the Red Sox will need all at their best to earn their way into the playoffs.
The road ahead
Boston has 28 games remaining on the schedule. Barring a huge slide in the next week, the opportunity for a playoff push will continue until the very end.
The huge obstacle is playing more road games (16) than home (12), though in a reversal of normal fortune, the Red Sox have been better on the road this season.
A.L. East opponents comprise over half these games with 16 games on the docket. Included in this group of games is seven straight against the Yankees and Orioles. Opponents that Boston is 8-11 against in 2024.
Boston also has games against the lowly Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers mixed in, with a series against the Minnesota Twins on the docket, too.
A road trip is up next on the agenda, where the Red Sox take on the Tigers and the New York Mets. Back in late-May and early June, Boston went 2-2 against the Tigers. And when they meet with the Mets, it will be the first (and only) series between the teams this season.
This is an immediate opportunity to make up some ground. Winning a series at a time is a must. More importantly, a solid seven-game winning streak or so would do wonders. Not out of the question. And the team needs complete efforts heading into the final month. My guess is the team will need to go at least 18-10 to close out the season to secure a playoff spot. So sail on, dear Red Sox, and leave this post All-Star break swoon far in the past.
photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
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