After Saturday’s second consecutive rout of the Phillies, the Red Sox stand at 37-27, right in the thick of the AL East. In fact, the Red Sox are 26-13 since May 2, the day the lowly Baltimore Orioles finished off a three-game sweep of the Sox. Despite what the record may show, however, the Red Sox have had to overcome a lot of adversity.
As they approach the halfway point of the season, the question is this: Can the Red Sox keep their success going and catch the AL East leaders?
They’ve spent the majority of the season looking up at AL East foes Tampa Bay and New York, as well as battling a slew of injuries, leaving them unable to play the starting lineup and starting rotation that was built in the offseason.
Neither the offense nor defense has been immune to injuries. Outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Cameron and Jeremy Hermida have all missed or will miss extended time due to injuries. On the pitching front, Josh Beckett's back has given him problems since May, and he’s not expected to be back until July. On Saturday, Daisuke Matsuzaka was scratched just minutes before his start and was sent to the 15-day disabled list with a forearm injury.
Despite the injury problems, the Red Sox have shown quite a bit of resiliency. The outfield injury problem has been helped by the steady play of both Darnell McDonald and Bill Hall. Tim Wakefield has filled in admirably in place of Beckett.
The bottom line is that this Red Sox team is a team that has not played a long stretch of baseball with their optimal lineup and pitching staff on the field at the same time.
When the July 31 trade deadline rolls around, the Red Sox could be buyers in the market for an outfielder or a pitcher, or both.
Despite players stepping up in the absence of others who have been injured, the task of catching the Rays and Yankees is a tall one. Even if the Red Sox continue to play well, there’s nothing to say the two teams they chase won’t play just as well — maybe even better.
So while the Red Sox continue to try to overcome injury problems in their quest to catch two of the game’s best teams, what does the future hold for them? Can they continue to sustain injury after injury and earn another playoff berth? Is this team good enough to win the wild card? The division? Do they still have a talented enough team to win the World Series?
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June 12: Should Red Sox look to trade for another outfielder?
