Three Red Sox Storylines To Watch This Week With Playoff Hopes Crashing

The Boston Red Sox arrive at the final week of the 2024 regular season right at .500 at 78-78.

There's been plenty of positives this season with the development of young players and flashes of greatness from the starting rotation. On the other hand, the once-promising playoff hopes of mid-July are virtually gone. The Red Sox trail for the final wild-card spot in the American League by four games with six remaining.

Despite the growing reality that Boston will likely miss the postseason, there's plenty of reason to remain invested in the final six games of the season. The Red Sox look down the line at an extremely important offseason ahead. Entering with momentum must be a priority.

Here are three storylines to follow as the Red Sox close out the 2024 regular season.

Can Starters Finish Strong?
The Red Sox put the fate of the season on a young starting rotation that did not feature an extensive track record of tallying innings all year long. Those arms faltered at times, but the Red Sox have reason to stay optimistic about starters who will hold on to the rotation in 2025 and beyond.

The success of Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford and Brayan Bello is paramount for the Red Sox moving forward. All three are on pace to make 30 starts this season, and performing at a high level in their respective finales would be extremely encouraging.

"We want these guys to go all the way to the end," Alex Cora told reporters in Toronto on Monday. "That's something that we take very seriously. It's good for them to finish the season. Chris (Sale) did it last year. Look what happened."

Finish With Winning Record
The Red Sox watched a familiar yet frustrating pattern unfold in each of the last three seasons: gain momentum in June and July, plummet in August and underwhelm in September.

Boston finished at 78-84 in each of 2022 and 2023. The Red Sox already have 78 wins this season, so the ballclub must capitalize and end with momentum. A 3-3 record finishes their season at .500 at 81-81, while a 4-2 week gives Boston its first winning season since 2021.

In fact, let's get crazy!

Should Boston win out, there are a few tiebreaker scenarios they already clinched over the Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Mariners if those teams falter this week. That's a stretch, and then some, but mathematics says it's possible.

Flip The Script Vs. American League East
The Red Sox enter the final week of the season at 22-24 against the American League East in 2024.

The final six games are against division rivals the Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays. A 5-1 week would allow the Red Sox to finish above .500 against the division this season; the last time they did so was in 2021.