If the Boston Red Sox have felt impossible to pin down this season, that’s because they have been. At one point they were 14 games under .500 and the worst team in the American League. Now they’re 80-65, one of the first three AL clubs to reach 80 wins, and very much in the conversation for more than just a playoff berth.
The change started on June 25. Boston came into that day at 32-46 after dropping a series to the Colorado Rockies, then returned to Fenway Park to face the New York Yankees. The Red Sox swept all four games in that series and never looked back.
Since that turning point, Boston has gone 48-19. Over that 67-game stretch, the Red Sox own a .716 winning percentage, which works out to a 116-win pace over a full 162-game season.
That’s not a weekend heater. That’s two and a half months of elite baseball.
And the numbers only make the case stronger. The 2018 Red Sox, a team that won 108 games and rolled to a World Series title, are the obvious benchmark for modern Boston greatness.
Since June 25, this group has been even better. The sample is big enough now to say the turnaround is real, not some temporary spike.
The roster has changed, too. When Boston faced the Yankees on June 25, the lineup looked different than it does now.
Roman Anthony, Trevor Story and three-time All-Star Adley Rutschman are in it now, while Nick Sogard has been handling second base and has been great. Contreras is on the Injured List, though he should be back very soon.
That’s part of why this season has been so hard to read in the moment. The Red Sox have been the worst team in baseball and the best team in baseball, all in the same year.
But the recent run has gone on long enough to make the point clear. Boston has won five straight, the lineup is different, and the production has been steady for months.
This isn’t a fluke. The Red Sox have a real shot to make noise in October.
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 🡒]