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Normally, third place in the division standings is nothing to write home about, especially in the sport of baseball. However, if you are the Boston Red Sox, third place in the American League East looks fantastic compared to how they have been playing to open up the 2019 MLB season.
Struggling out of the gates to begin the year, the Red Sox sit at 25-22, four games behind their rivals and division leader New York Yankees, but only one-half game behind the upstart Tampa Bay Rays, who finally do look like the team to make some noise in the playoff hunt. Faced with injuries and inconsistent play, the BoSox should be nothing but pleased with how their early-season struggles have shaped up for them to this point.
While Chris Sale has somewhat been his normal dominant self, including striking out 17(?!) Rockies across seven innings in a loss to Colorado, his record shows otherwise. Pitching to a tune of one win against five losses and a 4.31 ERA, Sale is tied with fellow rotation member Rick Porcello for the team lead in home runs allowed with nine, which he has allowed across only 56.1 innings of work.
The rest of the staff has been inept at pulling their own weight too, as David Price has assumed the role of the best starter on the roster currently. The former Rays left-hander has two wins and two losses across 41 innings of work, throwing a 3.29 ERA and allowing opponents a .225 average off him, which is respectable.
Postseason hero Nathan Eovaldi has has only made four starts and has a ballooning 6.00 ERA, and he currently sits on the Injury List with a loose body in his throwing elbow, a big-time red flag that could result in eventual Tommy John surgery.
From the bullpen, Brandon Workman leads the team in appearances with 24 and has been one of the best arms on the team this season, combined with incumbent closer Ryan Brasier, Matt Barnes, and Marcus Walden. This unit has been their saving grace, bailing out the starters and bridging that gap when they make short starts.
Offensively, third baseman Rafael Devers leads the team in hitting with a .314 average, with Mookie Betts (.295) and Xander Bogaerts (.285) not far behind. Mitch Moreland is the lone Red Sox player in double figures for long balls, having hit 12, and he is tied for first with Bogaerts in runs driven in with 31.
Even with all of these stats, there are ways that this team can get out of the hole it dug itself, pick itself up and be in a good position going into the All-Star break. Here are three ways this team can turn itself around sooner rather than later.
Let Michael Chavis eat
In his first season in the major leagues, Michael Chavis has played all around the diamond, suiting up to play three games at first base, 22 at second base and two at the hot corner. The Ice Horse, as he is affectionately known as, has nine home runs and 24 RBIs across 98 at-bats and currently boasts a .296 average.
The 2014 first-round draft pick by the Red Sox has finally made his way to the majors and is exactly what their offense needs: a spark plug. His offensive firepower has been instrumental in getting their offense going, thus the need for him to earn more playing time through more starts.
Go out and get bullpen help
Even with the sterling performances that Workman, Brasier, Barnes and Walden have put together so far this year, they will get worn down due to an excessively high workload. With that being the case, they need to start purging from teams that have already thrown in the towel.
The San Francisco Giants are a great place to start, as bullpen arms like Will Smith and Tony Watson are already available to be picked up, as the Giants are undergoing yet another disappointing season. By sending over a top-30 prospect, the Red Sox could get either (or both, depending on how good the prospect it) player, which would go a long ways to helping boost their pen.
Other non-popular moves could include getting Ian Kennedy for a long relief role from the Kansas City Royals, acquiring Drew Steckenrider from the Miami Marlins, or talking with the Cincinnati Reds about Michael Lorenzen or sinkerballer Jared Hughes.
Let the starting rotation take care of itself – do not spend big
Both Sale and Price will become themselves as the season goes on, and Price is much closer to the pitcher most know him as rather than Sale. While Eovaldi is dealing with injury issues, Porcello has been good enough to make up for Eovaldi missing time, Eduardo Rodriguez has been picking up the slack at the end of the rotation and Hector Velazquez has been alright in spot starts filling in for Eovaldi.
Regardless of if Eovaldi returns this year or not, the Red Sox have the firepower to stick to their guns and make do with what they currently have. If an outside move needs to be made, shooting for the stars is not what this team needs, as their rotation does not need to look like the Washington Nationals three-headed monster in order to compete.
The two aces of the staff are doing just fine and the other three pieces will fall into place over time too, so this franchise needs to hold serve or make a minor move to address any gaps in their rotation, not just make a big move to say they did yet again.
