After being the hottest team in baseball for over a month, the Boston Red Sox hit a tough stretch that started against the Athletics. Despite going 2-7 over the final two games against the A's and the series against Pittsburgh Pirates, the Red Sox recovered and still hold the second American League Wild Card spot.
Some of their recent downturn in play has come from players finally cooling off after the extremely hot month, and from others not bouncing back from injuries as quickly as the team may have hoped. Whatever the reason, there will be a few key players in sustaining Boston's run to the playoffs.
3 players who will be most influential to the Red Sox's success in final stretch of the season
Ranger Suarez
Boston's big signing of the offseason was excellent in the first half of the season. He had a sub-3.00 ERA at the end of June and ultimately earned an All-Star nod. He was pulled early in his first start of July, though, with a left adductor strain and groin tightness. The lefty hasn't fully gotten back in his five starts since returning from that.
Suarez has only completed five innings twice in his five starts coming back from injury. The Red Sox are going to need him to go at least five innings every start for the rest of the season to not tax the bullpen. He is a key piece of the rotation for a team that was built on pitching and defense, and his return to his All-Star form will go a long way in the Wild Card race.
Andruw Monasterio
Trevor Story is getting closer to returning to the Red Sox after starting a rehab assignment. After trading away Marcelo Mayer at the trade deadline, that leaves Story as the likely starting shortstop once he returns, a position Monasterio has been holding down in the meantime.
The utility man's defense has been abysmal at short, posting eight outs below average, but his bat has become a key cog in the lineup. Since the start of June, Monasterio has booked a .273 batting average and .792 OPS, with 19 extra-base hits and 27 RBI. His continuing that level of production, even in a platoon or off the bench, is something Boston will need to keep the lineup going in the final weeks of the season.
Brayan Bello
The Red Sox's starting rotation is starting to falter. Jake Bennett has seen a real downturn in performance, and Patrick Sandoval had a real stinker against the Pirates. Combine that with Suarez's current struggles, and Bello is becoming an x-factor in long relief in the bullpen.
Bello hasn't shown any signs of slowing down in long relief, and the Red Sox will need it to stay that way. The righty has kept the Sox competitive in a lot of games recently by shutting down opponents in bulk outings. If he starts to show signs of fatigue or struggles too, Boston is really going to have a hard time winning many games down the stretch.
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