The Boston Red Sox have slim chances of playing baseball in October. They need to treat every game like the postseason from here on out.
This season hasn’t gone the way it should’ve gone for the Boston Red Sox. They’ve had an up and down year and never really moved on from their World Series run a year ago. Teams seem to have the Sox number this year and knew how to beat them.
The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays did a lot better against the Sox this year than last and with a month left in the season, the Sox playoff chances are slim. There isn’t much margin for error with this team and they have a big homestand this week with three games against the Minnesota Twins and four against the Yankees.
Losing Chris Sale for the season doesn’t help their odds for October. That means Rick Porcello, Eduardo Rodriguez, David Price, and Nathan Eovaldi need to step up as well as the bullpen. Between injuries and inconsistencies with the pitching staff, they don’t have the greatest odds of making the playoffs.
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The Red Sox are behind the Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians, and the Rays in the Wild Card standings. They also hold an 6.7% chance of making a playoff spot according to Fangraphs.
The Rays have a 77.1% chance of making the postseason while the Indians have 72.0% chance. The A’s have a 44.5% chance of making the playoffs.
Boston trails the Indians by 5 1/2 games for the second Wild Card spot. The Sox need to win every series from here on out if they want to compete for a playoff spot.
Every series from here on out is a playoff atmosphere for this team. They need to have that mentality that every game matters and time is running out for them to make the playoffs. The Sox have 25 games left and on pace for 87.5 wins which isn’t a lot compared to the A’s, Indians, and Rays. The Rays are on pace for 94.4 wins, the A’s are on pace for 92.9 wins, and the Indians are on pace for 93.9 wins.
Boston’s odds of making the playoffs are against them. However, if anyone can get this team a playoff spot it’s Alex Cora. His leadership ability really needs to be all about making the playoffs this season and not thinking about last year. This is a new year with new obstacles they didn’t face a year ago. Cora will manage probably like he did in the playoffs as their backs are against the wall. You might see times when starters work in relief roles between starts because he can’t trust his bullpen. Every game matters and he knows that.