MLB Standings Watch: Red Sox show promising signs of improvement
Now this is the offense we expected to see this season. The Boston Red Sox have been a massive disappointment, but lately there have been signs of improvement.
The Red Sox offense is on a blistering pace this month with a league leading 141 runs in August so far. While that may be heavily influenced by a few blowouts in a small sample size, Boston’s offensive binge has lifted the team to third in the league in runs scored for the season. If the Red Sox had any hope of contending this season it would be on the strength of their bats. While this offense toiled away in mediocrity for most of the season, they are coming on strong in the second half.
As recently as a month ago there were still questions about whether Jackie Bradley and Rusney Castillo would warrant a spot on this roster beyond this season, but both have answered the challenge to put those concerns to rest. Bradley is hitting .311/.395/.649 since the break, while an astounding 14 of his 23 hits have gone for extra-bases. Castillo’s slash line of .375/.412/.613 has made him arguably the team’s best hitter over that same span.
With Hanley Ramirez beginning the early stages of his transition to first base, the Red Sox will have room for both Bradley and Castillo in their outfield next year. Not only have they earned it with their production at the plate, but the defensive upgrade will be a tremendous boost for the pitching staff.
Speaking of the pitching staff, are we seeing a glimmer of hope from one of the rotation’s lost causes? Joe Kelly has now won five straight games and owns a 3.03 ERA during that stretch. He looks like a completely different pitcher compared to the one that was routinely lit up in the first half of the season. Kelly has often relied too heavily on his blazing fastball, but now that he’s mixing up his pitches by incorporating more changeups and breaking balls, it’s helped him keep opposing hitters off balance.
The Red Sox clearly have some work to do to reshape this roster this winter, but a strong finish to the season from these players that most of us were ready to give up on could keep them in the mix for key roles in 2016.
Next: Rising
Aug 23, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher
Cole Hamels(35) pitches in the fourth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Rising
Texas Rangers: Seven wins in their last ten games has vaulted the Rangers into a Wild Card spot. Texas has a top-5 offense this season, but it’s their pitching that has really turned around their season lately, with a 3.69 ERA that places them 4th in the league in August.
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What’s odd about the success of this Rangers pitching staff is that they are doing it without much contribution from their prized trade deadline acquisition, Cole Hamels. The former Phillie missed a couple of starts this month with a groin injury, but hasn’t resembled the pitcher they thought they were getting when he has taken the mound.
Hamels was knocked around for a total of 9 earned runs in 13.2 innings over his first two starts with his new team and owns a 4.73 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in his brief tenure with the Rangers. His last two starts since returning from injury have been more promising, so perhaps he is starting to adjust to pitching in a new league. If he returns to form and the rest of the rotation continues to pitch the way they have this month, watch out for the Rangers.
Can Texas keep this up? Their -24 run differential suggests they are a team that should be below .500, not four games above it. However, they are a stronger team now than they were earlier in the season, regardless of what they get out of Hamels. The emergence of Rougned Odor (.328/.350/.599 since the break), along with several veterans rebounding from slow starts, have made the lineup stronger. Even Mike Napoli is thriving in Texas (1.036 OPS in 11 games), with the Rangers using him selectively against left-handed pitching.
Next: Falling
Aug 25, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder
Mike Trout(27) reacts after striking out in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Falling
Los Angeles Angels: Losing six of their last ten games has not only cost the Angels their grip on the division crown, but it’s now knocked them out of a playoff spot. The most troubling sign is that their offense has dried up, scoring a league-low 73 runs with a .640 OPS this month.
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The Angels lineup doesn’t have much depth to begin with, so when their stars struggle there aren’t many options to pick up the slack. Mike Trout looked to be in MVP-form through the first half of the season, but has struggled since battling through a wrist injury last month. So far in August he’s batting .207/.337/.317, making it by far his worst month of the season. His OPS is less than half of what it was in July, when he belted 12 homers in 79 at-bats. He’s recorded more at-bats already this month, yet has only 1 home run to show for it.
Albert Pujols hasn’t been much better. He’s still displaying the power stroke that has led to the 34 home runs that has him tied for second in the majors, but there’s not much else to his game these days. His penchant for getting on base has become a shadow of his former glory days, as his OBP has fallen to a career-low .311.
If the Angels are to avoid slipping out of the race, they need their big bats in the middle of the order to bounce back quickly.
Next: Standings
Aug 23, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman
Josh Donaldson(20) hits a ball into a double play which a run scored against the Los Angeles Angels during the ninth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The Toronto Blue Jays won 12-5. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
AL East Standings
Playoff Outlook
AL East: Toronto Blue Jays (70-55)
AL Central: Kansas City Royals (77-48)
AL West: Houston Astros (70-57)
Wild Card: New York Yankees (69-56)
Wild Card: Texas Rangers (64-60)
The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees continue to flip-flop at the top of the division, but whichever team falls short should have no trouble holding on to a playoff spot as a Wild Card. The Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays are only 2.5 games back of the second Wild Card, so there is still a chance that there could be three AL East teams in the postseason this year. Sadly, the Red Sox won’t likely be one of them, as they sit 8 games back of a playoff spot.
The Kansas City Royals have a commanding 13-game lead in the Central division, but the Minnesota Twins are still hanging in the playoff race at only half a game back of the Rangers for the second Wild Card.
The Angels’ recent slide has helped Houston build a 4.5 game lead out West, but one of the Wild Cards will likely come from a team in that division. Even if the Angels and Rangers can’t catch the Astros, it should still be an interesting battle between those two teams for the final playoff spot.