When the Boston Red Sox dropped two out of three to the Colorado Rockies in late June, that was rock bottom for what was turning into a nightmare season. To compound matters, they had plane troubles leaving Denver to get home to open a four-game home series against the New York Yankees.
That loss dropped Boston to 32-46 with over half the season left on June 24. Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, they swept the Yankees and carried a nine-game winning streak into the All-Star break. After the break, they won six more before the Baltimore Orioles snapped the streak. However, since then, they have continued to win and hammer first-place teams.
They have gone from the basement of the American League to the second American League wild-card spot going into Saturday afternoon’s home game against the Athletics. They are half a game behind the Yankees for the top AL wild-card spot. It’s a turnaround that is even surprising MLB insiders.
Buster Olney of ESPN Drops Eye-Opening Boston Red Sox Comment
After sweeping the two-time World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers last weekend in Southern California, the Red Sox swept the AL Central Division-leading Chicago White Sox at home. After a 13-1 win over the Athletics on Friday night, they have won nine games in a row. Buster Olney of ESPN didn’t really mince words about the turnaround and Boston winning 27 out of their last 30 games.
“What we’re seeing with the Boston Red Sox is the craziest team turnaround in the history of baseball,” Olney said.
That might seem a bit of an overreaction. However, one look at some stats and maybe Olney is on to something. On June 24, according to SportsCenter, the Red Sox were 30th in runs scored, 29th in home runs and seventh in ERA. That seemed about right.
It appeared the firing of Alex Cora in April after a win over the Baltimore Orioles and replacing him with Chad Tracy wasn’t going to work. Then, out of nowhere, things flipped.
Since June 25, Boston is 2nd in runs scored, seventh in home runs and first in ERA in MLB. It was said before and should be said again: pitching wasn’t an issue earlier this season for the Red Sox. It was all about a struggling offense. The numbers before and currently during the streak back that up. Suddenly, they are plus-89 runs scored, the best in the American League.
Boston Red Sox Continue To Roll Along
After two more with the Athletics, Boston hits the road for a four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays and a three-game set against the Pittsburgh Pirates. They acquired catcher Adley Rutschman, a three-time All-Star, at the trade deadline and Jake Rogers to bolster their catching.
Pitching was never a problem, but now they are hitting and becoming the team to beat in the playoffs in the American League when October rolls around. What they’re doing is certainly eye-opening, and Olney is taking notice. How long can they keep playing like this? Is it sustainable? Those questions will be answered over time, but for now, beating them feels like a tall task. Just ask any division leader who has gone up against them recently.
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