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

The Boston Red Sox suffered back-to-back losses to the last-place Washington Nationals on Wednesday and Thursday, killing any momentum they generated by taking six of their previous eight games.

But things could be worse: They could be in the New York Yankees’ shoes.

The Yankees enter the weekend in the midst of a five-game losing streak, dropping their record to below .500 at 60-61. New York is 15-30 since the beginning of July, a horrible stretch that has the Bronx Bombers 6 1/2 games back of the American League’s third wild-card spot.

The Red Sox (63-58) are 3 1/2 games back of that same spot — currently occupied by the Toronto Blue Jays — and have to be kicking themselves about not gaining ground this week in the nation’s capital. They can’t afford to dwell on the past, though. A big weekend in the Bronx awaits.

The Red Sox and Yankees will lock horns for three games in New York starting Friday night. After that, Boston’s next 10 games include seven against the Houston Astros (70-52) and three against the Los Angeles Dodgers (74-46). Brutal.

The final six contests in that span — three vs. Houston and three vs. Los Angeles — will take place at Fenway Park. But it’s still a daunting schedule against two of the most talented teams in Major League Baseball.

There’s also little relief in sight, as the Red Sox play 13 straight games against AL East opponents and three against the Texas Rangers after a three-game trip to Kansas City to open September.

It’s not hyperbolic to say the upcoming stretch could make or break Boston’s season. As such, it’s paramount the Red Sox start off on the right foot this weekend, with an opportunity to bury their biggest rivals.

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Red Sox odds (Aug. 18)*
To win World Series: +11000
To win American League: +6500
To win AL East: +13000

The Red Sox’s odds to win the AL East have shortened since our last check-in, going from +24000 to +13000. That said, it’s still hard to imagine Boston digging out of its current hole in the division. The Sox sit 11 games back of the first-place Baltimore Orioles (74-47).

*All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Probable pitchers
— Friday, Aug. 18 (7:05 p.m. at Yankees): Brayan Bello, RHP (8-7, 3.81 ERA) vs. Jhony Brito, RHP (4-5, 4.76 ERA)

— Saturday, Aug. 19 (1:05 p.m. at Yankees): Kutter Crawford, RHP (5-6, 3.80 ERA) vs. Gerrit Cole, RHP (10-3, 2.76 ERA)

— Sunday, Aug. 20 (1:35 p.m. at Yankees): TBD vs. Clarke Schmidt, RHP (8-7, 4.76 ERA)

Storylines to watch
1. Pablo Reyes’ breakout
Reyes has been excellent since coming over in a trade from the Oakland Athletics, with Red Sox manager Alex Cora even pointing to him as one of Boston’s unsung heroes this season. Is it sustainable? Only time will tell. But the Red Sox’s second-base situation — which also includes Luis Urías, who hit a grand slam Thursday — certainly is worth watching down the stretch.

2. Garrett Whitlock’s rebound
Whitlock is back. Which is great news for the Red Sox. Now, it’s all about the 27-year-old finding his stride, an effort that suffered a setback Wednesday night when he allowed four earned runs on two homers in a crushing loss to the Nationals. Boston’s bullpen is starting to take shape. And it’s obviously a much better unit if Whitlock is performing to his potential.

3. Tanner Houck’s return
Houck, who’s been on the injured list since taking a line drive to the face in June, is scheduled to return Monday against the Astros. He’ll rejoin a Boston rotation that also consists of Chris Sale, James Paxton, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Nick Pivetta. It’ll be interesting to see how Cora aligns his pitching staff with everyone healthy. A six-man rotation is very much on the table, though Pivetta could shift to the bullpen, as well.