The Boston Red Sox are on a hot streak and are now in contention for a postseason spot, but they have to keep winning to remain there.
Well, Red Sox Nation it’s safe to say it’s been one hell of a weekend so far! With the most important stretch of the calendar underway for Boston, it’s been a pretty big success so far. One thing remains though and that’s a sweep of the hated Yankees to keep the postseason push on track.
After taking two out of three from the Rays in Tampa it was time to head back to Fenway and prepare for the Evil Empire to come to town. I won’t lie, after the earlier sets in New York and London I wasn’t really looking forward to this one, but the boys haven’t let us down. Through the first three games of the series, the pitching has been damn near untouchable and the bats have been electric.
Boston has racked up an impressive 38 runs to earn the series victory while the starters and bullpen have only let 13 Yankees across the plate. These have been the kind of performances that we became accustomed to in 2018 and finally seem to be back.
All season we’ve talked about what this Red Sox team needs and it’s rarely been more offense. In fact, Boston leads the entire MLB in runs (120) and RBI (589). J.D. Martinez didn’t mince any words when he spoke about how the team has been hitting lately.
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Unlike much of this year though the pitching has backed up the offense and has done their part of the work. Rick Porcello, Andrew Cashner, and Eduardo Rodriguez have all gone out and put a halt to the powerhouse Yankee offense. We’ve also seen Brandon Workman, Matt Barnes, Marcus Walden, and Nathan Eovaldi all come in to finish the job.
With the final game of the set scheduled to start at 7:05 tonight, the Red Sox have a chance to sweep the Yankees at home and continue to eat away at the AL East deficit they’re in. Thanks to some heroics from Toronto last night Boston also finds themselves in sole possession of second in the AL East as well as tied for the second Wild Card spot with Oakland.
If Boston can finish the job and take all four games from the Yankees not only will that push them further up the standing but it will take their momentum to the next level. The Sox have an off day tomorrow and then Tampa comes to Fenway for a three-game stand. If they can finish off the Yankees then do the same to the Rays this season will look a whole lot brighter than it did two weeks ago.
Obviously winning is the key and I’m not dropping some next-level knowledge here but that’s also easier said than done. Just look at this season for example. It’s taken more than half of 2019 just to resemble a sliver of what this team did from Opening Day to the end of October last year. The components are all there and a sweep of the Yankees would send a message to the rest of the baseball world that the Red Sox aren’t lying down.
Luckily for the Boston, they have Chris Sale taking the mound tonight and if his last outing says anything it’s that he isn’t taking any crap anymore. Sale went for 6IP/4H/2R/3BB/10K in his last start and I’m sure The Condor wants to bring that same fire into tonight. If he’s able to control his slider and has the heat and the fastball, this could be another good night for the Sox.
This hasn’t been the most positive season for Boston but this last stretch of games has reinvigorated not only the team but Red Sox Nation as well. Now that the postseason is on the horizon and both sides of the game are clicking, the sky is the limit for this squad. The march to October continues tonight with a sweep of the Yankees.