The Red Sox keep stacking wins, and the case for them as the American League’s best bet is getting harder to ignore.
Boston took down the San Francisco Giants again on Saturday night with a walk-off finish, improving to 70-59 and becoming just the third AL club to hit 70 wins this season. The other two are the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees. The Red Sox will try to finish off the sweep Sunday afternoon with lefty Jake Bennett on the mound.
Even with Boston sitting third in the AL East, the bigger picture looks awfully strong. Since June 25, no team in the division has been better than the Red Sox.
Boston is 38-13 over that stretch, while the Yankees have gone 25-25 and the Rays are 32-23. That gap is part of why the Red Sox’s rise has felt so real - this isn’t just a hot week or two.
It’s been going on for a while.
The run differential tells the same story. Boston sits at +98, the best mark in the American League, and one of only five AL teams with a positive number at all.
The Yankees are right behind them at +95. What makes that especially striking is that the Red Sox’s edge isn’t built only on their recent surge.
It reflects the whole season.
Early on, Boston lost plenty of tight games and spent time near the bottom of the standings, but the pitching kept them in the mix. They weren’t getting routed.
They were competitive. Once the offense caught up, the whole thing started to look dangerous.
And there’s more on the way. Trevor Story and Roman Anthony are expected back soon, which only adds to a roster that already looks strong. At this point, the Red Sox have a real argument that their ceiling is higher than both the Rays and the Yankees.
In Other News...
Red Sox Suddenly Have A Late-Season Tanner Houck Decision
The Red Sox are starting to see the injury picture shift in their favor, with Garrett Crochet, Roman Anthony and Trevor Story all hopeful for returns in the coming weeks. Amid that broader good news, Tanner Houck has emerged as another name worth watching as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery and edges closer to a minor league rehab assignment.
Houcks path back is a little different from the others, though, because Boston is considering the possibility of getting him back as a reliever before the season ends. It would be a notable late-season wrinkle for a pitcher who was so effective in 2024, when he made 30 starts and posted a 3.12 ERA, and it leaves the Red Sox weighing how much value there might be in one more arm for the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Roster Squeeze Could Cost Boston A Popular Spark Plug
Trevor Story is expected back on the Red Sox major league roster soon, and that kind of return always creates a little housekeeping for a team trying to stay nimble down the stretch. Boston will need to clear a spot, and with the roster already tight, the move will likely come from a player who has seen his opportunities shrink as the season has worn on.
Anthony Seigler looks like the most vulnerable name in that equation, at least for now, even though the club has not announced any official changes. The calendar helps soften the blow, since the roster expands on Sept. 1 and gives the Red Sox more flexibility to bring players back before the playoffs, but for the moment there is still one more uncomfortable decision ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Adley Rutschman Is Already Helping The Red Sox Where It Matters
Adley Rutschmans bat has not taken off since the trade deadline deal sent him from Baltimore to Boston, but the Red Sox have still found value in the newest addition. Even while he works through the offensive adjustment that comes with a midseason move, Rutschman has made an impression in the clubhouse and behind the plate, where his influence on the pitching staff has been impossible to miss.
Bostons rotation and bullpen have been performing like one of the best groups in baseball, and Rutschmans role in that rise goes beyond the box score. The Red Sox have leaned on his encouragement and leadership as a steadying presence, a reminder that a trade deadline pickup can help in ways that do not always show up in hits and RBI. [Read more 🡒]