The Boston Red Sox went on a tear that began in early June and lasted until the All-Star break. After a month and a half as one of baseball's hottest teams, Boston is banging on the New York Yankees' door for second place in the American League East.
Many experts predicted the Red Sox would finish in last place in one of baseball's toughest divisions. Bleacher Report recently went against the curve in a way Sox fans will love.
MLB columnist Joel Reuter has predicted that the Red Sox will finish ahead of the Yankees in the AL East. Despite New York's expensive offseason moves, such as signing Marcus Stroman and trading for Juan Soto, this was a popular belief among some MLB insiders.
Before the 2024 slate began, experts had mixed opinions about New York's fate. Some were swayed enough by the Soto signing to place the Yanks at the top of the AL East leaderboard. But the Yankees have started the past two seasons strong, then collapsed as the postseason nears — a prophecy that may fulfill itself again.
Bleacher Report columnist predicts Red Sox will finish ahead of Yankees in AL East
Which AL East team will rise above the rest?
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Rymer looked to the Red Sox and Yankees' run differentials over time to make his point. The Yankees clocked a staggering +128 run differential through 80 games, while the Red Sox mustered a +29 through June 12. Boston's pitching was utterly dominant at the beginning of the season and the rotation didn't need a ton of run support to get the job done then.
New York's offense has screeched to a halt since. It's posted a -22 run differential since June 12. The Red Sox's has dropped as well, but they're still in positive territory with a +15 metric. Boston's pitching has allowed significantly more runs in recent weeks, but its offense has picked up and the lineup has lengthened. Ceddanne Rafaela and Masataka Yoshida, two hitters who struggled to begin the 2024 slate, have made Boston's lineup much longer now that they've started to hit consistently.
Aaron Judge and Juan Soto have been the source of most of the Yankees' runs. Anthony Volpe and Alex Verdugo have faltered in recent weeks. Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu have struggled most of the year. Clay Holmes has a 4.91 ERA in his last 15 outings.
The Yankees have had a lot of bad luck that has led to their recent slump, while the Red Sox have experienced the opposite. But Alex Cora believes his teams' current level of play is sustainable, and seemingly, so does Rymer.
The Sox and Yankees have one series to play before the trade deadline. Boston's standing in the AL East and a potential postseason push could be on the line.