Red Sox Weekend Warmup: Boston Entering Make-Or-Break Stretch?

The next three weeks could dictate the Boston Red Sox’s season.

No, seriously.

While it sounds hyperbolic in the context of a six-month, 162-game regular season, the Red Sox’s place in the standings and the impending Major League Baseball trade deadline have Boston in position to either make or break its 2023 campaign.

The playoffs are well within reach, with Boston entering the second half just two games back of the American League’s third wild-card spot, and the Red Sox are riding high after winning eight of their final nine games before the MLB All-Star break.

Maintaining that momentum could convince Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom to add pieces to the roster before the Aug. 1 trade deadline. A step in the other direction might be enough for the front office to look more toward 2024 and beyond.

The Red Sox open the second half with three games against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Then, it’s on to Oakland for a three-game date with the lowly Athletics before returning to Fenway Park for three games with the New York Mets.

The Cubs (42-47), A’s (25-67) and Mets (42-48) all sit comfortably under .500 this season, so the Red Sox (48-43) have a real opportunity to make up ground before their schedule gets much tougher down the stretch.

Red Sox odds (July 14)*
To win World Series: +10000
To win American League: +5000
To win AL East: +8000
To make playoffs: Yes +255, No -350

Do you believe in these Red Sox? If so, now might be the time to strike on the betting market, because their odds could drop with a good showing against the aforementioned trio of Chicago, Oakland and New York.

The division remains a long shot for Boston, which enters the second half nine games behind the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays (58-35) while also trailing the Baltimore Orioles (54-35), Toronto Blue Jays (50-41) and New York Yankees (49-42). But a wild-card spot is there for the taking, and anything can happen in October.

*Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Probable pitchers
— Friday, July 14 (8:05 p.m. ET at Cubs): Brayan Bello, RHP (6-5, 3.04 ERA) vs. Kyle Hendricks, RHP (3-3, 3.04 ERA)

— Saturday, July 15 (2:20 p.m. ET at Cubs): James Paxton, LHP (5-1, 2.73 ERA) vs. Marcus Stroman, RHP (9-6, 2.96 ERA)

— Sunday, July 16 (2:20 p.m. ET at Cubs): Kutter Crawford, RHP (3-4, 4.11 ERA) vs. Justin Steele, LHP (9-2, 2.56 ERA)

Storylines to watch
1. Brayan Bello’s emergence
Bello has been excellent this season and looks like a potential ace, a development that obviously would completely alter Boston’s rotation in both the short- and long-term. The 24-year-old enters the second half with a 2.35 ERA over his last 12 starts. He certainly looks like the guy at the moment.

2. John Schreiber’s return
Think about some of the names the Red Sox could get back in the coming weeks: Trevor Story, Chris Sale, Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck, to name a few. Now, turn your attention to Schreiber, the Red Sox’s best reliever last season, who’s on the cusp of returning and providing an underrated boost to Boston’s bullpen. Suddenly, the late-inning mix of Schreiber, Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen looks really, really good.

3. Can Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida stay hot?
Duran batted .433 (29-for-67) with 15 extra-base hits in his final 23 games before the All-Star break. Yoshida entered the break with seven consecutive multihit games, a stretch in which he batted .517 (15-for-29) with a 1.326 OPS. Each has been awesome this season — they’re hitting No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, Friday night — and could go a long way toward raising Boston’s ceiling in 2023 with continued production.