Red Sox
Starting pitching, timely hitting, and dominating at home have been critical.
COMMENTARY
Forget the trade deadline disappointment for a moment. Forget the fact that there are still some holes on the roster. Forget the fact that they shipped Rafael Devers across the country in the middle of his prime.
For the first time in a long time, the Red Sox are firmly in the playoff picture and showing signs that they could do some serious damage in October.
There’s nothing quite like meaningful fall baseball at Fenway Park, and after a resounding 6-1 triumph to sweep the Astros on Sunday, the Red Sox continue to trend in that direction.
“We have belief in each other, we have belief in ourselves, that no matter how the deadline ended up we know we’re a very good baseball team and we can win a lot of games,” said Sunday’s starter Lucas Giolito.
The Red Sox (62-51) have won five in a row, seven of their last eight, and 20 of their last 27. They’re in sole possession of first place in the Wild Card – yes, ahead of the Yankees, who were 9.5 games up on Boston in mid-June – and steadily gaining ground on the first-place Blue Jays.
In years past, pivotal series such as this one have derailed promising stretches and sent the Red Sox spiraling after briefly showing signs.
today, with arguably the most buzz there’s been around the team since 2021, Boston is 11 games over .500 for the first time since June 2022.
“I hate comparing yourself to other teams, but the last few years, that series put us in a bad spot,” said manager Alex Cora. “It’s a lot different right today. We have a good team. Guys are playing with an edge today. You can tell.”
Here are five reasons for the dramatic turnaround:
Making their pitch
Entering Sunday, Red Sox pitchers led the majors with a 2.78 ERA since the start of July.
In July specifically, Boston completed its first calendar month with 17-plus wins and a sub-3.00 ERA since August 1990. The Red Sox surrendered just five runs over three well-played games against Houston to maintain momentum.
The series finale against the Astros (62-50) was another major step in the right direction for a staff that’s quickly blossoming into one of the best in baseball.
“We feel like whoever’s pitching that day for us, we have a really good group, so we feel like we can win each night,” shortstop Trevor Story said.
While Garrett Crochet’s success has been well documented, Giolito deserves plenty of credit as well. He’s had a couple of hiccups along the way, but Giolito (8-2, 3.57 ERA) has allowed one earned run or fewer in seven of his last 10 starts. That’ll do the job.
Even though he’s “not a morning person,” per Cora, Giolito went to bed at midnight (early for him) and woke up at 8 a.m. (also early for him) and managed to make his longest start since 2021.
His 8.44 ERA in first innings heading into Sunday was a major concern, however a slick stop from Romy Gonzalez kept Houston from scoring and paved the way for a stellar outing.
Giolito (eight innings, three hits, one earned run, four strikeouts, 103 pitches) allowed a solo home run to Carlos Correa in the fourth before the Red Sox quickly helped him forget about the slight setback and he sizzled from there.
Pop at the plate
The fourth inning was one to forget for typically tenacious Astros starter Framber Valdez. Valdez, who entered the day 11-4 with a 2.62 ERA on the season, allowed six runs in the frame alone.
It was a truly disastrous stretch that featured a wild pitch, balk, passed ball, and error. The Astros gave the Red Sox a window, and Boston took advantage, which is what playoff teams do.
“We have that edge that no matter what’s going on early in the game, midway through the game, even late in the game, we know that we can win,” Giolito said. “We have that confidence to be able to go out and execute.”
The first six Red Sox all reached, highlighted by a double from Roman Anthony and an RBI single from Story.
Ceddanne Rafaela scored Romy Gonzalez, Story came in on a balk, then Rafaela scampered home when Valdez misplayed a Wilyer Abreu bunt. Connor Wong plated Abraham Toro on a sacrifice fly, then Rob Refsnyder drove in Abreu on a grounder to make it 6-1.
“We played some small ball and put some barrels on it,” Story said. “When we think small, big things happen.”
The Red Sox are today 48-17 when scoring four or more runs and have 27 come-from-behind wins. They’ve averaged 5.6 per game on their 7-2 home stand so far, so while Sunday’s explosion seemed like a lot, it was really just another day at the office.
New chapter in the Story
Story, who recorded two hits Sunday, is currently riding a five-game hitting streak and is hitting .500 in that span.
Entering the day, his 45 RBIs since June 1 ranked tied for second in the Majors.
Story looks comfortable and confident at the plate. He went the opposite way with both of his hits, keeping it simple and methodically taking what Valdez gave him.
“Having a clear approach of what I want to do and sticking to it,” Story said of his RBI surge. “Sometimes it won’t work, but not letting that deter me and just being very convicted in what I’m trying to do. It’s been great to see the success and come through for the team in big spots like that. That’s how I envision myself.”
Having Story’s bat in the middle of the lineup is critical for the Red Sox, as he provides another veteran presence alongside Alex Bregman to complement the young talent.
It’s been a long time coming for Story, who today appears fully healthy and looks like the player he was with the Rockies.
Beating the best
For much of the year, the fair knock on the Red Sox was that they could beat the bad teams but couldn’t beat the good teams.
Well, after dropping two of three to both the Phillies and Dodgers, they’ve taken two of three from the first-place Dodgers and swept the first-place Astros. Los Angeles and Houston have been two of the best teams in baseball over the past several seasons, so winning each series with conviction says a lot about what Boston is building.
It doesn’t get any easier, with the Padres and Astros again following a series against the Royals.
“When it comes to best-of-the-division teams, whether it be AL or NL, it’s about continuing our game, coming in with confidence, and knowing we can win,” Giolito said.
Comforts of home
The vast majority of fans coming to a game at Fenway in recent weeks have witnessed a Red Sox win.
Boston is 14-2 in its last 16 home games and 21-5 in its last 26 since June 4. The Red Sox have won seven of their last eight home series, including each of their last five.
They’ve won games in all sorts of ways – including many tight ones by either one or two runs. In series against the Dodgers, Twins, and Astros, the Red Sox were 3-1 in games decided by two runs or fewer.
The fun may just be beginning, as the Red Sox play 14 of 23 games at home from July 25 to Aug. 19.
Next up is a three-game set with the Royals at Fenway, with a chance to keep it rolling and close the gap on Toronto.
Said Rafaela: “It’s been years that we’ve been trying to have the fun that we’re having right today.”
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