The Boston Red Sox's luck has completely changed from July and August, and it couldn't have come at a worse time. Another impact player got injured just before the start of the playoffs.
During game one of Boston's Friday doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs, Mickey Gasper left the game after striking out in the fifth inning. Gasper was seen flexing his right bicep after the swing and looked to be in some discomfort, prompting the substitution of Connor Wong at catcher.
After the game, Gasper was diagnosed with a "significant" biceps injury. Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported that Gasper will miss at least the first two rounds of the playoffs, but his injury is feared to be season ending.
This is just another player to add to the list of injuries the Red Sox are dealing with at the moment. Willson Contreras spent 13 days on the injured list, got through three games, but was pulled after being hit in the hand and hasn't played since September 17. Eli White, who had been red hot, ended up on the IL and will be out the rest of the season.
What happened to the midseason luck the Red Sox had?
The luck has completely turned for the Red Sox since their midseason rocket ride up the standings. The baseball gods were favoring the Sox all summer. Even though they dealt with injuries, everyone who played stepped up, allowing them to climb back into contention and into the playoff spots. Now, their luck is terrible.
Their form has been mediocre through the final weeks of the season. Since they lost three of four to the Yankees at the end of August, finished the season at 13-12. The hot streak they rode for so long ended, and they were able to keep afloat, but now, at the worst time, they are being bitten by the injury bug. To add insult to injury, the weather made things harder and forced the Sox to fly to Tampa for a single game before the playoffs.
Boston is about to head into the Bronx for the Wild Card round for the second year in a row, and they are losing key offensive pieces. Contreras will be available for Wild Card games, but there's no way he's completely healthy. Chad Tracy said after the second game of the doubleheader that Gasper's injury is "probably going to take him out [of the playoffs]." Ceddanne Rafaela was held out of the doubleheader due to the weather and will head into the playoffs with five at-bats and 11 innings played since September 2.
The luck the baseball gods instilled in the Red Sox through the summer is now gone. Instead, they are dealing with a lot of adversity heading to the Bronx. Luckily for this Red Sox team, it's exactly how they started the season when they lost Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet, so Red Sox Nation shouldn't be worried.
Add us as a preferred source on Google