The Red Sox have already locked up a postseason spot. That part is settled. What Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians changed was the question hanging over the last five games: not whether Boston gets in, but where it lands when October starts.
At 84-73, the Red Sox sit second in the American League wild-card race. They’re three games ahead of the 81-76 White Sox and six behind the 90-67 Yankees, which leaves them in a solid spot - just not a carefree one.
The second wild-card position would send Boston to Yankee Stadium for the first round. The third would mean a trip to face the American League West winner.
There’s plenty of debate about which path would be better, but the simplest answer is the one Boston still controls: keep winning.
Tuesday was a reminder of how fast a game can slip away. Mickey Gasper’s pinch-hit homer tied it at 2 in the eighth, only for Cleveland to answer in the ninth with Nathaniel Lowe’s go-ahead sacrifice fly.
Cade Smith finished it off for the Guardians. Boston collected eight hits, but the offense also struck out 12 times.
The Red Sox can’t be eliminated now, but they can still lose ground in the standings. Chicago remains three back with five to play, so Boston still has to protect its current place. The Yankees’ six-game cushion makes the top wild-card slot out of reach.
That leaves a pretty clear assignment for Chad Tracy’s club: stop the skid, hold onto the second wild card and head into October looking sharper than they do right now. Boston has dropped three straight, and while that kind of stretch can be survived in September, it’s a different story if those same issues carry into a short playoff series.
The Red Sox get another shot at Cleveland on Wednesday, and it’s no easy reset. The Guardians have won six in a row, so Boston won’t be walking into a soft spot. But after letting a close one get away at Fenway Park, the Red Sox at least have the chance to answer back.
Their playoff berth is secure. Their momentum isn’t. With five games left, that still matters.
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With four games left, the Red Sox are still clinging to the second American League Wild Card spot at 85-73, but the margin for error has all but disappeared. Chicago and Cleveland are close enough to keep the standings unsettled, and the path to October may come down to more than just who finishes ahead in the record column.
Thursday nights Red Sox-Guardians matchup suddenly carries a lot more weight because it could shape a three-way tiebreaker scenario if the clubs end up at 85-77. In a race this tight, the standings can turn on one result, and Boston is now staring at a finish where division and Wild Card seeding might have to be sorted out the hard way. [Read more 🡒]
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Cleveland adds another layer to the picture, since the Guardians are still chasing the AL Central crown while also trying to secure their own postseason place. The results of Bostons game against Cleveland, along with the rest of the days scoreboard, will sort out the final seeding and division races, leaving the Red Sox with one more lever to pull before the real games begin. [Read more 🡒]
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Guerrero later clarified those remarks and said he does not regret making them, pointing back to his strong 2025 season and his postseason production as the basis for the deal. The comparison to Pablo Sandoval surfaced quickly, though Guerreros situation is different because his contract followed a far more accomplished track record, leaving the real question less about where the money came from and more about where this relationship with production goes from here. [Read more 🡒]