Boston Red Sox: Three up, three down for the home stretch

BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 12: Jackie Bradley Jr. #19, Mookie Betts #50, and J.D. Martinez #28 of the Boston Red Sox celebrate after the game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 12, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. Red Sox won 4-1. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 12: Jackie Bradley Jr. #19, Mookie Betts #50, and J.D. Martinez #28 of the Boston Red Sox celebrate after the game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 12, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. Red Sox won 4-1. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
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ST. PETERSBURG, FL – AUGUST 24: Manager Alex Cora #20 of the Boston Red Sox looks on from the dugout during the third inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on August 24, 2018 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. All players across MLB will wear nicknames on their backs as well as colorful, non-traditional uniforms featuring alternate designs inspired by youth-league uniforms. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – AUGUST 24: Manager Alex Cora #20 of the Boston Red Sox looks on from the dugout during the third inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on August 24, 2018 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. All players across MLB will wear nicknames on their backs as well as colorful, non-traditional uniforms featuring alternate designs inspired by youth-league uniforms. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)

We’ve entered the final weeks of the regular season. Some Red Sox are playing their best when it matters most, while others still need to step up.

We’re in the last month of the regular season. The stretch run is finally here. These remaining weeks and games will determine how the MLB playoffs take shape. The players themselves will determine how these games shake out. Whatever happens over the next few weeks could tell us who the next World Series champion will be.

The Boston Red Sox have bludgeoned their opponents into submission for much of the season, and they’ve seen immense contributions from a wide variety of players. Some are locks for the postseason roster. Others, though still seeing significant playing time, could be on the bubble. As the season draws to a close, some of those players are pushing for greater consideration and are doing their parts to keep the Sox well ahead of the ever-dangerous New York Yankees.

The 2011 collapse, though now seven years in the past, remains a fresh wound in the minds of many Red Sox fans and of those in the organization; the fear of a repeat, of complacency, will always be a powerful motivator.

Which Red Sox are stepping up to the proverbial plate at the right time? Which have chosen the wrong moment to shrink? Let’s take a look.

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