Tuesday could prove to be a turning point for the 2022 Boston Red Sox.
July wasn’t kind at all to the Red Sox, who struggled throughout the month and lost hold of an American League Wild Card spot in the process. Boston’s slide also coincided with the final few weeks of Major League Baseball’s trading window, which led many to believe the Red Sox would sell off multiple important pieces before the deadline.
But in the end, Christian Vázquez and Jake Diekman were the only active players who Boston traded away. Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez and Nathan Eovaldi, all of whom were floated in trade rumors last month, will finish out the season with the Red Sox.
Eovaldi must have been thrilled on a personal level, as he’s made his interest in playing for Boston long-term clear. But the veteran right-hander also believes the rest of the club was in good spirits after the deadline passed.
“I think it’s just the guys are believing in ourselves again,” Eovaldi said on the “Bradfo Sho” podcast, as transcribed by WEEI. “We had a tough stretch. We went through it at the beginning of the season, and then that second month we turned it around, and we kind of hit that road right there before the All-Star Break and after the All-Star Break. We had a distraction from the trade deadline, because we didn’t really know what was at stake, and I think now we go out there and compete, and play the game.”
The new-look Red Sox are off to a good start, as a road series win over the Houston Astros should help with team morale and confidence. Boston now has a chance to keep it rolling in a four-game set against the Kansas City Royals, who own the third-worst record in the big leagues.
The sides will kick off the series Thursday at Kauffman Stadium, with NESN’s full coverage beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
