These 2024 Boston Red Sox are a lot better, and a lot more fun, than we thought
BOSTON -- Not only are the Boston Red Sox a fun and exciting team to watch on any given night, but they certainly look like a playoff team as they hit the MLB All-Star break.
That was not the case one month ago, and Alex Cora and his team deserve loads of credit for their recent surge.
One month ago, the Red Sox were hovering around .500 and didn't seem to have much direction. Cora saw a lot of promise in his squad, but that didn't always come through on the diamond.
The playoffs were just a dream at that point, with Boston sitting 14 games behind in the American League East and three games behind the third AL Wild Card spot. Cora felt the team was worth your time and the attention of the front office, but he was mostly alone on that soap box.
Red Sox are winning - a lot
Fast forward to today, and Cora was right and the majority of us were wrong. The Red Sox are not only fun and enjoyable, but they are winning ballgames. A lot of ballgames.
They now sit at 53-42 on the season at the break, as winning has been a common practice by Boston's baseball team. The Red Sox have claimed victories in five of their last seven games and 10 of their last 13. They went 15-10 in June and are 24-13 since starting the month at 29-29. Since May 19, the Red Sox are an MLB-best 31-18.
All that winning now has the Red Sox sitting two games ahead of the Royals -- whom they just took two of three from at Fenway Park -- for the third AL Wild Card spot. Boston is a reachable 3.5 games behind the first Wild Card, and just 4.5 behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the division.
So you'll excuse Cora if he continues to move the goalposts a bit. He knows this squad is capable of achieving even more than just sneaking into the playoff as the last Wild Card team.
"Let's think big"
"So far so good, but we have bigger goals than having a good first part of the season," Cora said after Sunday's win. "We're 4.5 games back from the lead in the East. That's what we're shooting for. The whole talk about the Wild Card and all that, it should be in the past. Let's think big and see what happens."
Cora's excitement is warranted. The Red Sox had not been 11 games over .500 in over two years until Sunday. In taking their three-game set against the Royals, Boston has now won four straight series and won or tied 12 of their last 13 series going back to the start of June.
Demanding attention
This team is playing real solid baseball thanks to some extremely solid pitching and an offense that is making things happen at the dish and on the base paths. Cora is pressing all the right buttons with his players, and begging the front office to add at the deadline so they'll be in the best position possible to make a run in October. At this point, they have no other choice but to listen to him or they risk completely losing this fanbase -- and potentially their manager.
Chances are this team will not win a World Series this year. But they have thrust themselves into the conversation with an incredible last month, and they have demanded the attention not only from Boston fans but of other teams around baseball.
These Red Sox are worth watching and worth investing in. We've got a baseball season in Boston, one that should carry us from the sweltering days of summer to brisk autumn nights. Here are a few takeaways as the Red Sox hit the All-Star break in a great position to make some noise the rest of the way.
Red Sox pitching has been outstanding
Pitching was the biggest question mark heading into the season, and hopes weren't very high when offseason "splash" Lucas Giolito was lost before the campaign even began. But under new pitching coach Andrew Bailey, Boston's starting rotation has been among the best in baseball.
Which is absolutely wild considering Brayan Bello has been mostly ineffective (he leads the team with 10 wins, but is sporting a 5.32 ERA) and Garrett Whitlock made four starts before being lost for the season. But you can thank Tanner Houck, who has not only been an All-Star but an ace for Boston, ranking fifth in baseball with a 2.54 ERA and 12th with a 1.03 WHIP. Kutter Crawford has been stellar behind him, with a 3.04 ERA and an even better 1.030 WHIP.
Kenley Jansen has been outstanding at the backend as well, with 19 saves in his 20 opportunities to go with a 2.16 ERA and 1.080 WHIP. The 3.67 ERA by Boston relievers this season is good for 11th best in MLB.
Overall, Boston pitchers hit the break with a 3.61 ERA, which is good for the fifth best in baseball. Starters have a 3.56 ERA for the season, which also sits as fifth-best in the majors.
As a staff, the Red Sox have 11 shutouts on the season through 95 games, tied for the most in baseball. It's an incredible stat given that the 2023 Red Sox had just five shutouts all season.
Now just imagine what this staff could do if Craig Breslow and crew add another starter to the mix ahead of the trade deadline.
Red Sox feeling the need for speed
The Red Sox are a bunch of speed demons on the base paths, and it has led to an incredibly exciting brand of baseball. Not only are the Sox a threat to steal a bag, but they have continually turned singles into doubles and a handful of doubles into triples with their blazing speed on the base paths.
With Jarren Duran, David Hamilton, and Ceddanne Rafaela all turning on the jets in the lineup, the Red Sox rank second in the American League in doubles with 170 and are tied for second with 24 triples. They have the sixth most stolen bases in all of baseball with 88, with Hamilton (23) and Duran (22) accounting for the majority of those thefts.
The last several years were filled with Red Sox teams that ran into outs on the bases. This year's team knows when to use their speed to their advantage, and it's led to an offense we've never seen in these parts. It has put a lot of pressure on opposing pitchers and defenses, and led to a lot of runs crossing the plate for Boston.
Rafael Devers is having himself an incredible season
Devers won't be partaking in his third All-Star game due to a lingering shoulder injury, but that ailment hasn't kept him from crushing the ball in one of his best overall seasons as a pro.
With 23 homers at the break, Devers is on pace to send a career-high 39 dingers out of the yard this year. He's been on fire as of late too, hitting nine home runs over his last 17 games. He's also hitting .375 with a 1.319 OPS during that span. Devers is on pace to log his fourth 30-homer, 100-RBI season of his career.
Jarren Duran gets it all started for Red Sox offense
What a season for Boston's leadoff hitter. Duran is an All-Star for the first time of his career after slashing .284/.342/.477 to go with 10 home runs, 27 doubles (tied for third in baseball), and 10 triples. His 63 runs scored are tied for 13th, and he's ted for the seventh-most steals. His 5.1 WAR not only leads the Red Sox, but is the fifth highest in all of baseball this season.
Red Sox are the kings of day baseball
The Red Sox have been at their best when the sun is out. Boston owns a 22-12 record in day games so far this season, which is the third-best record behind Minnesota (30-16) and Cleveland (25-11). The Red Sox are just 31-30 at night.
Sunday Scaries don't exist for these Red Sox, who are 15-1 on Sundays this season. Getting their weekends started has been a little more difficult though, as the Red Sox are just 4-12 on Fridays.
Alex Cora is making a strong case for Manager of the Year
The Boston skipper continues to get the most out of what has been given to him. He has the clubhouse loose and playing fun baseball, and he's putting pressure on the front office to make some moves at the deadline. He's pushing all the right buttons with his players as he incorporates young talent and juggles injuries.
If he can get this team to the playoffs, Cora should get some serious consideration for Manager of the Year. He went into this season without a contract for next year, but that will pay off for Cora if the Sox keep this going and play well into the fall.