The Boston Red Sox, barring a complete late-season meltdown and/or a ridiculous surge from the New York Yankees, should win the American League East.
Stranger things have happened, sure, but when the Major League Baseball playoffs begin next week, it would be shocking to see the Red Sox playing in the A.L. Wild Card game.
Whether Boston draws the Cleveland Indians or Houston Astros in the A.L. Division Series remains to be seen, but that’s far from the only question the Red Sox have as they enter postseason baseball for the second consecutive season.
Monday night’s 6-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays is nothing but a bump in the road, especially for a Red Sox team that had won six in a row, nine of 10 and 15 of 21 in the month of September.
But the scoreboard Monday only told part of the story. Eduardo Nunez returned to the lineup only to reaggravate his knee injury. Mookie Betts left the game with a wrist injury. And Drew Pomeranz had arguably his worst start of the season, leaving after just two ineffective innings.
There are legitimate questions for the Red Sox as they get set for postseason play. Some will be answered before the playoffs begin, and others, as we examine below, will need a “wait-and-see” approach.
How injured are Mookie Betts and Eduardo Nunez?
Betts and Nunez have been two of the most valuable Red Sox since the All-Star break. Nunez is hitting .313 with eight home runs and 27 RBIs since joining the Sox, while Betts started to get hot earlier this month, with 13 extra-base hits and 23 RBIs in his last 17 games. But Boston had been without Nunez since Sept. 9, only to see him get reinjured upon his return to the lineup Monday. Betts insists he’ll be OK despite his ailing wrist, but anytime a hitter is dealing with a bum wrist, there are concerns — just ask Nomar Garciaparra. Considering this Red Sox team is prone to offensive slumps from time to time, losing Nunez or Betts would be a tough blow.
Is Drew Pomeranz’s performance — and drop in velocity — cause for concern?
Pomeranz entered Monday on a tear. The left-hander was 7-1 in his previous nine starts with a 2.33 ERA, holding opposing hitters to a .233 average and averaging nearly a strikeout per inning over that time. But all it took was one disastrous start against the Blue Jays — two innings, seven hits, five earned runs and just 27 strikes on 47 pitches — for everyone to remember these are uncharted waters for Pomeranz. Assuming he makes one more start and lasts more than three innings, Pomeranz will set a career high in innings pitched for a second consecutive straight season. Was Monday’s start, paired with an obvious dip in fastball velocity, evidence he’s starting to hit the wall?
What will the postseason roster look like?
We’ll likely tackle this in more detail as the playoffs get nearer, but Boston has some decisions to make. The strength of John Farrell’s team right now is the bullpen. Theoretically, Farrell would like to have a full arsenal of relievers entering a series with Houston or Cleveland, but given the built-in days of rest during a series, maybe the club leans toward making sure there’s depth on the bench. Brock Holt hasn’t had a good season, but his position flexibility always will make him a postseason roster candidate. And what about Rajai Davis? He’s also having a down year, but he could be an effective pinch hitter against left-handed pitching (as Aroldis Chapman can attest), and he brings far and away the most speed to the roster. But loading up on the bench will mean difficult decisions elsewhere, either with the bullpen or the rotation.
Furthermore, how will John Farrell assemble his starting rotation? Bullpen?
Game 1 of the ALDS is Thursday, Oct. 5, with Chris Sale on the mound for the Red Sox — you can write that in ink. After that, though, who knows? Reigning Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello, Boston’s Game 1 starter a year ago, might be one of those tough roster decisions. Pomeranz should get the ball for Game 2, and perhaps Eduardo Rodriguez in Game 3. But how confident would the Red Sox feel running out three straight southpaws, especially if they’re playing Houston, with its short porch in left field at Minute Maid Park? As for the bullpen, David Price looks healthy and effective enough to warrant a roster spot. The same should go for Carson Smith. Addison Reed’s disastrous Sept. 3 outing in New York is a thing of the past, as he logged 9 1/3 scoreless innings before allowing a run Monday night. Those three plus Craig Kimbrel make for a strong back end of the bullpen, but that leaves plenty of room for decisions on pitchers like Joe Kelly, Heath Hembree, Robby Scott and Matt Barnes, all of whom have been very good down the stretch.
How much can be expected of Rafael Devers?
Most years, it seems like the best teams in baseball get late-season boosts from young players, and that boost often times carries into the playoffs. The Red Sox would love for Devers, who owns an .871 OPS since being promoted in July, to be that player. Devers could be a huge piece of the puzzle, too, as he’s one of the few consistent power threats in the Red Sox’s lineup. However, the defense officially is a concern. Farrell gave the youngster a day off on the recent road trip after he committed an error in five straight games. And as we mentioned, the starting rotation looks likely to be lefty-heavy, which means opponents will load up on right-handed hitters who could make Devers a busy man. The most likely scenario: Devers starts most nights and is pulled for a defensive replacement — Deven Marrero, perhaps? — leaving yet another roster decision to be made.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
