Red Sox Weekend Warmup: Clock Ticking On Boston To Make Playoff Push

Time is running out on the Boston Red Sox’s season.

The Red Sox showed flashes of playoff potential at various points throughout the year, with an American League Wild-Card spot long within striking distance, but it’s becoming harder and harder to envision Boston playing postseason baseball in 2023.

For every step forward, the Red Sox have taken two steps back. They entered Thursday’s off-day with a 72-68 record, five games behind the AL’s third wild-card position with 22 games remaining on their schedule.

Mathematically, Boston’s season still is alive. But it’ll take a near-miracle for the Red Sox to crack the playoffs. Not only must they dominate down the stretch, they also need the teams in front of them to falter.

The Rays are running away with the AL’s top wild-card spot, leaving the Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers battling for the two remaining spots in front of Boston.

The Red Sox have three games with the Rangers and three games with the Blue Jays left on their schedule, but they’ll first need to take care of business at home against the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees.

Crazier things have happened, of course. And the Red Sox aren’t ready to throw in the towel just yet. But the epic turnaround needs to start — *checks watch* — now.

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Red Sox odds (Sept. 7)*
To win World Series: +30000
To win American League: +18000
To win AL East: +50000
To make playoffs: +1700

It would require a lot of faith to place a futures wager on the Red Sox right now. The odds reflect such. Boston entered Thursday 16 1/2 games back of the first-place Orioles in the AL East.

*Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Red Sox probable pitchers
— Friday, Sept. 8 (7:10 p.m. ET vs. Orioles): Tanner Houck, RHP (4-8, 5.07 ERA) vs. Kyle Bradish, RHP (10-6, 3.03 ERA)

— Saturday, Sept. 9 (4:10 p.m. ET vs. Orioles): Chris Sale, LHP (6-3, 4.46 ERA) vs. Jack Flaherty, RHP (8-8, 4.84 ERA)

— Sunday, Sept. 10 (1:35 p.m. ET vs. Orioles): Brayan Bello, RHP (11-8, 3.61 ERA) vs. Grayson Rodriguez, RHP (5-3, 4.91 ERA)

Storylines to watch
1. Triston Casas’ sizzling streak
Casas has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball, slashing .338/.433/.662 with 14 home runs and 33 RBIs in 47 games (180 plate appearances) since the All-Star break. The odds say he won’t win AL Rookie of the Year — Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles is the favorite at -900 — but he certainly could solidify his case by continuing his torrid pace down the stretch.

2. Chris Martin’s dominance
Can we just take a minute and tip our caps? Martin, signed in free agency over the offseason, has been superb out of Boston’s bullpen, posting a 1.17 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP in 50 appearances (46 1/3 innings). He has a 0.31 ERA over his last 32 outings. And he’s been thriving in high-leverage spots. Just awesome all around.

3. Triple-A rehab stints
Corey Kluber and Pablo Reyes are slated to begin rehab assignments Friday with Worcester. Kluber struggled before landing on the injured list on June 20 with right shoulder inflammation, while Reyes was a shockingly valuable contributor in the middle of Boston’s infield before landing on the IL on Aug. 28 with left elbow inflammation.