Has the last week made any effort towards the playoffs futile?
Yes, the Red Sox won Tuesday evening after a strong enough effort from the cobbled together short start/bullpen and the lineup doing just enough. Still, something feels extremely hollow about this victory. From last Friday on, it feels like this team collectively made their biggest mistake of the season, one that could cost them their shot at the third Wild Card spot. Let’s rewind.
After going 4-3 on an extremely tough road trip to Baltimore and Houston, the Sox headed home to take on the D-Backs in what are starting to feel like a do-or-die series for their October baseball hopes. Getting smacked 12-2 Friday evening wasn’t in the cards, but it was really a lot of garbage time runs for Arizona as much as a loss is a loss. OK, time to rebound on Saturday, right? They could only manage five hits and one final inning run of their own in an outing where Kutter Crawford managed to actually not give up any homers… oy vey. Just take the last game of the series and move on, Sundays are this team’s day, yes? No. Despite a 4-0 lead through four frames, Eugenio Suarez tormented the patrons of Fenway Park as Tanner Houck just couldn’t keep it together for the series sweep. That’s a rough weekend.
You can make some of it back up on Monday! Take both games of this crazy series as Danny Jansen makes history in the resumption of the rained out game! You only manage four hits, one run and can’t back a 10 K, 6 inning performance from Nick Pivetta. And in Game 2 you gave up a five-run 5th inning, pulled within two on a Jarren Duran two-run shot in the 8th then promptly gave those runs back in the 9th. Is it a four game or a five game losing streak now? Regardless, this is feels like self-sabotage.
How did the other Wild Card drag racers fare in that same stretch? Kansas City lost a series against the Phillies over the weekend! But…they’ve since won three straight against the Guardians and pulled themselves into a tie for the AL Central lead. Minnesota is sliding, having won only one of their last five games but they still have 72 wins to the Red Sox’s 68. As it stands on the morning of 8/28, the Red Sox are four games back of the final Wild Card slot.
Successful Red Sox teams have had make-or-break stretches in the dog days of the season that they nail to propel them towards a postseason spot. In 2018—yes they were the best team in baseball—they had a four game series in August against the Yankees that felt pivotal for AL East supremacy. They swept it all, capped off by an Andrew Benintendi walk-off single. Later on in the month, they also swept the Orioles in a four-game cage match where offense matched offense when needed and pitching shut down O’s batters most of the way. The 2021 ballclub had their lucky break in September with a seven-game win streak to pull themselves right up into the postseason. Can the 2024 Red Sox somehow catch that break?
Most of the rest of the schedule is tough on this team but there are two series very obviously circled. September 6-8 the White Sox roll into town, a team that the Red Sox SHOULD smack around—and yet in June, they split a four game series in Chi-town. September 20-22 feels like the biggest one of all. The Twins come to Fenway Park and if the Red Sox still somehow find themselves close enough in the dogfight, this series could make it or break it. Minnesota also has their own series September 6-8 at Kansas City, which almost makes me want to root for the Royals to bring the Twins back down to our level and sweep Minnesota. Other than that? There’s not much opportunity. The Tigers, Rays and Jays are still good enough to play spoiler. The Yankees and Orioles need all the momentum they can between their fight for the AL East division crown.
It’s time for this Red Sox team to step it up. Triston Casas is back and has been stupendous at the dish since his return, batting .321/.410/.528 with 3 dingers, 8 RBI and 8 walks in his last 15 games. Duran is still on fire, the only member of the 10 triples, 20 HRs, 30 stolen bases and 40 doubles club in Major League history. Where is everyone else? Jansen and Connor Wong have been eerily quiet at the plate. Tyler O’Neill is feeling like a three true outcome player, and while Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu have been good, it’s still not enough. Raffy’s shoulder injuries are still nagging him, which is amazing considering his overall production this season, but clearly it hinders him.
Where did good pitching generally go as well? The once vaunted pieces of the rotation have fallen right back down to Earth and the bullpen isn’t built to sustain the pressure. It’s gotten enough to where Craig Breslow has had to bring Rich Hill back into the fold. Rich Hill? Look, it’s cool to see the dude back here but if this is who needs to be the saving grace for either the rotation or the bullpen, that’s not a well-enough built or coached unit. Lucas Sims and Luis Garcia also just landed on the IL… great.
I’m not saying it’s impossible with 30+ games left this season and some pivotal matchups for the Red Sox to make the postseason. But after the last five+ days, it’s feeling more and more improbable. There’s no more time left for the Sox to right the ship. It’s either get hot now and try your best or resign and flounder. This stretch of losses threw a giant wrench in this team’s hopes.