The American League Wild Card picture looked all but settled when the Red Sox dropped three of four to the Yankees at the end of August. New York had the season-series edge, which gave the Yankees the tiebreaker, and Boston was sitting four games back. With that setup, the path to the top Wild Card spot felt like it had practically vanished.
A week later, the conversation has changed.
Boston rolled through a four-game sweep of the Orioles over the weekend, then opened a three-game set against the Angels on Monday afternoon with another win. The Red Sox have now won five straight and cut the gap to New York to two games.
The Yankees are 81-62, while Boston is 80-65 and the third American League team to reach 80 wins. New York has 19 games left.
Boston has 17.
The recent stretch has been the difference. Since beating Boston in that four-game series, the Yankees are 3-3.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, are 6-2 and trending up fast. Getting Roman Anthony and Trevor Story back in the lineup for the series finale against New York mattered, and both have been excellent since returning.
They’ve been a big part of why Boston suddenly looks like a team with some real life again.
Adley Rutschman has joined that surge too.
Boston fans are finally getting a look at what Rutschman can bring, and early September has been loud. In four games this month, he’s 4-for-16 with three homers and five RBIs. On Monday, he delivered again, crushing a homer off Pesky’s Pole to push the Red Sox ahead 5-0 in the second inning against Los Angeles.
There had been some concern about Rutschman’s banged-up elbow, but the signs now look encouraging. His blast Monday came off the bat at 112.1 miles per hour, the hardest-hit ball of his career so far. Before that, his personal best was 111.3 mph on a field out last September.
What looked like a Red Sox team left for dead against the Yankees has quickly turned into a race again. A week can change a lot, and Boston has made the most of it.
In Other News...
Red Sox Prospect Is Easing One Big Adley Rutschman Trade Fear
Hayden Mullins has been one of the quieter bright spots in the aftermath of Bostons Aug. 3 deal for Adley Rutschman, and the pitching prospect is doing his part to ease some of the early anxiety that followed the move. Mullins has continued piling up solid outings, trimming his season ERA and giving the Red Sox a better-looking strikeout-to-walk ratio as he settles into the stretch run.
The encouraging part for Boston is that Mullins has not just been serviceable, he has been consistently effective, which matters when a trade of that size invites instant second-guessing. The other side of the equation has been encouraging too, since the players Boston received in the swap have also turned in strong work in Baltimores system, leaving the deal in a place where both clubs can point to early returns and still wonder how it will age. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Face A Tough Ranger Suarez Decision At The Worst Time
Bostons rotation has started to show the strain that tends to surface in September, with a few starters wobbling in recent outings and the group lacking the crispness it had earlier in the year. That is what makes the conversation around Ranger Suarez so tricky. The Red Sox need stability, but they also need to decide how much weight to give a pitchers recent form versus the kind of track record that can matter most once the games tighten up.
Jonathan Papelbon has already made clear where he stands, saying he would leave Suarez out of a playoff rotation because of the way things have gone lately. Still, Suarez brings something Boston cannot ignore if the club is building a postseason plan for October: he has been effective in the playoffs before, with a strong ERA and WHIP that suggest a starter who can handle pressure when it matters most. The Red Sox are being asked to choose between what they have seen recently and what Suarez has shown in bigger moments, and that is not an easy call this time of year. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Bullpen Just Took A Late-Season Turn Fans Feared
Justin Slaten had only just started to throw again in his recovery before the right elbow inflammation symptoms flared up and shut him back down. For a Red Sox bullpen that has managed to keep its performance in a strong place, the setback is a reminder that late-season stability can change quickly, especially when one of the relievers the club hoped to count on is not able to build any momentum.
The encouraging part for Boston is that Tanner Houck and Garrett Crochet are both moving ahead in rehab assignments, giving the staff at least a chance to get reinforcements later on. Slatens return, though, is now far less certain than it was even a short time ago, and for a bullpen that has been one of the teams quiet strengths, his situation is becoming one of the more important health stories to watch. [Read more 🡒]