Stine’s Red Sox Weekly Check-Up: They’ll be just fine
By Caleb Stine
With the Red Sox playing September baseball, every night is a heart attack. No lead is too comfortable, as shown over Labor Day weekend in the 11-10 loss against Tampa Bay, blowing a 7-1 lead with ace Chris Sale on the mound. Conversely, the Red Sox hold 40 comeback wins, representing more than a quarter of their completed games. Thus, no game for the Red Sox is truly over until the fat lady, or Rafael Devers, sings and the game is officially over.
That’s why it’s important every week as Red Sox fans, to take a step back, check our pulse and go in for a weekly check-up to examine how the Red Sox truly stand in their bid for a Wild Card spot and beyond.
There are three key developments that offer substantial hope for Boston and their leg in the playoff race, and should encourage fans searching for encouraging news to breathe a little easier.
The Red Sox have widened key gaps
Perhaps the most straightforward good news is that the Red Sox swept a home series against the only team in the AL East without a viable chance of making the playoffs. When accurately evaluating the sweep over the weekend, two facts need to be held in equal weight. The fact that the Red Sox won three in a row against a team, and the fact that said team is the Baltimore Orioles.
Regardless, this sweep placed the Sox in sole possession of the top Wild Card spot. With the Yankees and Blue Jays dropping two and one of their respective series games, a one-game lead over Toronto and 2.5 over New York now gives the Red Sox whole-number leads over their competitors for the first time in over a month. These leads will only grow larger over the next two weeks because…
Upcoming series for the Red Sox aren’t intimidating
Relatively speaking, any series other than an Orioles home series is a tough one. However, the upcoming eleven games for the Sox feature only three against a team over .500. Those three are of course against a frustrated Yankee lineup who have Gerritt Cole scheduled to pitch the opening game on Friday, coming off his previous outing where he allowed seven runs. The remaining eight include two against the Mets and three each against the Nationals and Orioles.
It would be foolish to think that the Red Sox, even considering their past fumbles, would lose a pivotal series this weekend against New York, and not take at least five or six of the games against their three weaker opponents from Queens, Washington, and Baltimore.
Additionally, the Red Sox have rest days between each upcoming series, with the exception being six games straight against the Orioles and Nationals to finish their regular season.
The remaining games of the season are Boston’s to lose.
Toronto and New York have rougher schedules
It’s critical to note that the Red Sox race to the playoffs doesn’t fall entirely on their shoulders. In fact, I would argue that at this point, a spot in October is equally dependent on the success of the Red Sox and the downfall of the streaky Blue Jays and frustrated Yankees. The Yankees and Blue Jays both have at least two series against a team over .500.
After a series against the Rangers, the Yankees play each and every threatening team in the AL East. This means that the Yankees-Blue Jays series at Rogers Centre will, by default, have either team slip back from a chance at October and further behind the Red Sox, assuming a Boston second place position.
While the Blue Jays are looking forward to two series against the Orioles and Twins, Toronto has been drastically outperforming, winning nineteen games in the last 30 days, a streak that simply is not sustainable.
So there it is: encouraging news that looks ahead at the remaining games for the Red Sox and their competitors. This in and of itself is short-term thinking, but short-term thinking is exactly what’s needed at this moment for Red Sox fans. In a week, when there is a comfortable buffer between the Red Sox and the rest of the AL Wild card teams, discussion on the October 5th Wild Card game at Fenway Park and the chances of the Red Sox progressing further into the playoffs can commence.
Until then, all Red Sox fans need to do is relax. It’ll be just fine.
Featured Image: Red Sox manager Alex Cora and his infielders meet at the mound during a pitching change in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park on Sept. 8, 2021.