As the long days of summer loom just ahead of us in the 2019 season, some members of the Red Sox are on the rise, while others are fading.
The second full month of the 2018 season saw the Boston Red Sox recover, somewhat, from a fairly dismal April. The pitching staff showed signs of its old dominance and the bats came to life. The Red Sox still struggle with consistency, and the injury bug isn’t doing them any favors; yet, on the whole, May delivered more positives than negatives.
Still, the Red Sox trail the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays by a significant margin and they need to start closing that gap in June. If they head toward the end of the first half still down double digits, or even close to double digits, panic will begin to set in.
Fortunately, Boston has the talent to overcome the deficit, and some of that talent stood out above the rest last month. With David Price back in the rotation and Nathan Eovaldi drawing ever closer to a return, we should see the Sox playing at the top of their game from here on out.
However, there are still some players who aren’t pulling their weight; their production should be the main concern at this point. If Boston wants to have a real shot at holding onto the division crown, those players will need to find some way to step up.