Are the Boston Red Sox Ready for A Postseason Return?
Since June 1st, the Boston Red Sox have turned their season around going 19-10 in that span. Now at 48-39, the Red Sox currently hold the final Wild Card spot in the American League by a game and a half over the Kansas City Royals. Currently, Boston is on a five-game winning streak as last night they defeated their most hated rivals, the New York Yankees, who’ve been struggling recently in an extra-inning 5-3 victory. This team has two more games against the Bronx Bombers before starting a six-game homestand against the Oakland Athletics, and the Royals. If the Red Sox can continue to pull out wins, we could see them overtake New York for that second-place position in the AL East division. We haven’t seen this team in the postseason since their run to the ALCS back in 2021, is this team ready to make a postseason return?
Rafael Devers leads the team with 18 home runs and 51 RBIs. Center fielder Jarren Duran has recorded 103 hits in 87 games while also having 21 stolen bases which is second on the team. In 51 games played, left fielder Rob Refsnyder has collected 46 hits. Even though he has a 5.19 ERA, starter Brayan Bello has gone 8-5 through 78 innings pitched with 71 strikeouts. Tanner Houck leads the team with 106 strikeouts on a 7-6 record. Starter Kutter Crawford has 102 strikeouts in 17 starts with a 4-7 record. This team certainly has the potential to cook up some postseason magic, however, they will have a brutal task of finishing off playoff-experienced teams like the Yankees, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, and Seattle Mariners. While Seattle didn't reach the postseason last season, and the O’s and Twins didn’t go as far as they wanted last playoffs, all three teams will be coming back with a vengeance. New York wants to prove they’re a World Series-caliber team, and the Cleveland Guardians could be the best team in the American League by the time the regular season is over.
Thus far, the Red Sox have struggled at home going 20-23. Nonetheless, they’ve been phenomenal on the road putting up a 28-16 record. If they can continue their outstanding play on the road, while taking a few more wins than they have at Fenway, Boston could look like an elite franchise, and one not to be messed with. We still have another few months of the season, anything could happen. We saw the Houston Astros struggle early on, and they’ve turned it around completely being two and a half games out of the final AL Wild Card spot. The Astros are looking to prove their reign as American League champions is not over yet. While a young, playoff-inexperienced team like the Royals wants to finally resurge, and compete for a chance at a World Series championship. Boston will have to continue fighting through the second half to prove they're a postseason-ready squad.
When Boston resumes play after the all-star break, we’ll see them take on the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers. After their series with Los Angeles, they’ll face the worst team in the National League, the Colorado Rockies. Then, the Red Sox will go on to face multiple AL foes, the Yankees, Mariners, Rangers, Royals, Astros, and Orioles. If the Boston Red Sox can come out on top in most or all of these series, they will be in a great position to finally make a postseason return.
