Shortly after the midway point of the season, the Boston Red Sox were struggling badly. After losing 2 of 3 games to the streaking Toronto Blue Jays, Alex Cora's team had a 41-44 record and were sitting in fourth place in the American League East. It seems like the Red Sox were in the middle of another lost season and the success that saw them win four World Series championships between 2004 and 2018 was nothing but a memory.
But the team that got swept by the Los Angeles Angels in late June was not content to play out the string. Suddenly, their dormant bats started to make contact. Players like Trevor Story and Ceddanne Rafaela were not longer waving at sliders outside the zone. They were making hard contact and driving in key runs.
The Red Sox brought up highly touted prospects Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer to infuse life into the clubhouse and lineup. They did just that and more. Mayer showed that he could make solid contact while playing 3rd base or 2nd base, while Anthony displayed a veteran's confidence and demeanor while finding a way to get on base and also get key hits.
Superstar Alex Bregman returned from his right quad strain to take his place near the top of the lineup. Suddenly, the powder puff lineup had turned into one of the most dangerous attacks in the American League. The Red Sox have reeled off a 21-7 mark in their last 28 games and they are in second place in the American League East with a 64-52 record.
Crochet and top of rotation flourishes for Red Sox
As the hitting improved, Garrett Crochet became the team's dominant ace on the mound. After flashing his power fastball and an array of effective breaking pitches, Crochet gave Cora a starting pitcher he could depend on to deliver an outstanding performance nearly every time he stepped on the mound.
Crochet has made 23 starts this season and he has a 13-4 record with a spectacular 2.24 earned run average. He has struck out 183 batters in 148.1 innings and he has been better than advertised since coming over from the Chicago White Sox.
Brayan Bello is 8-5 as the team's No. 2 starter with a 3.03 ERA. He has delivered 12 quality starts, and that's one more than No. 3 starter Lucas Giolito. He has compiled an 8-2 record with a 3.57 ERA.
The Red Sox are hoping that Walker Buehler and newly acquired Dustin May can hold down the final two spots in the rotation. Buehler has flashed his talent, but a lack of control has kept him from being consistently effective. May was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline and his first start for the Red Sox was a dull effort that resulted in a loss to the Kansas City Royals.
The Red Sox know that they have three dependable starters at the top of the rotation, but Buehler has not been dependable and May has much to prove. The final two spots in the starting rotation appear to be the biggest concern for the the Red Sox.
First base is a question mark for the Red Sox
Many observers thought the Red Sox would make a big effort to acquire slugging first baseman Josh Naylor prior to the trade deadline. If general manager Craig Breslow was interested in making a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks for Naylor, he was beaten to the punch by the Seattle Mariners.
The Mariners acquired Naylor nearly a week before the deadline. The Red Sox had been going with Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro at first base since Triston Casas went down with an Achilles injury following a brutal start. While Gonzalez and Toro have performed adequately for the Red Sox — and been far more than Casas was before his injury — Naylor would have given them a right-handed power bat that could have been extremely effective at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox did relatively little at the trade deadline. In addition to bringing in May, they also acquired left-handed reliever Steven Matz from the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Red Sox appear to be in a solid position as the No. 1 Wild Card team in the American League following their hot streak. However, their need for another dependable starting pitcher and a hard-hitting first baseman could become an issue in the final 46 games of the regular season.
