The Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals are in a tight race for the AL Wild Card. This week’s series was a royal victory for the Sox.
After winning the second game of the series, the Boston Red Sox clinched the head-to-head season series against the Kansas City Royals. Unfortunately, they lost the third game and thus a genuine royal flush. However, the head-to-head record is the first tie breaker for playoff spots. Therefore, a 90-72 record for the Red Sox is greater than, not equal to, a 90-72 record for Kansas City. Kansas City took football from us New Englanders (Thanks Pat Mahomes) so don’t let them take baseball this year too. Of course, this all means nothing if the Sox do not finish in the three wild card spots.
Game 1
It’s always a good sign to start a series with a statement win. The Red Sox won the first game 9-5 in Kansas City. OF Ceddanne Rafaela’s catch in the middle innings was the highlight of the game. Maybe even a catch of the year nominee. Also, it was nice to have a pitcher in SP James Paxton who did not let the Sox lose after getting 18 hits on the night. Paxton was actually stellar, going six innings, giving up five hits and two earned runs. Clearly, Big Maple had a Big outing in a Big moment.
As for the offense, all ten position players with at-bats got at least one hit. 1B Romy Gonzalez had a pinch-hit two home run in the seventh, but all the other runs were part of a barrage of paper cuts. Shoutout to Alex Cora whose savvy has led the Sox to five pinch=hit homers this year, second in MLB. Cora keeps pushing all the right buttons and it is a relief his contract concerns were put to rest for the foreseeable future.
Game 2
The Red Sox have an athletic team this year. Never was that better on display than Tuesday night when 1B Dom Smith ran home on a wild pitch. Rather, if a random fan watched one play for the whole Sox season and only saw Smith running home, they might think the Sox were a senior citizen team. That slide was more awkward than the Pina Colada song. Regardless, he did his best David Bowie impression and changed into a speed demon to steal a run for Boston. In a 6-5 win, that one run was the difference maker.
Another note, DH Masataka Yoshida is back. Or, he has finally arrived. After an abysmal start to the season, he is looking more and more like a player worth $90 million. Is he there yet? Not quite, especially since he can’t field, but the improvement has greatly aided a volatile Sox lineup. He still cannot field but his bat is better than ever. In the last month, Yoshida’s average has been steadily climbing and he’s been getting timely run-producing hits as well. In addition, nine runs and six runs without OF Tyler O’Neill bodes well for the team.
Game 3
Boston had a lead in this game, but eventually lost 8-4. It was greedy to hope for a sweep on the road, but the heart wants what the heart wants. The theme of this game was being outwitted by SS Bobby Witt Jr. Witt hit two home runs, adding to his MVP-caliber season. The game was back and forth until a five-run fourth for the Royals put this one to bed.
SP Kutter Crawford is the main concern from this game. in his last four starts, he’s given up five in two starts and six in the other two. The more concerning trend is giving up 13 home runs in four starts. Offense in baseball may be down, but the cure for that is clear. Let a tired Crawford pitch to everyone. Crawford has gifted 27 home runs this season, with half in the last four starts. He spoke during Spring Training of putting on weight to aid longevity in the season. Sadly, it has not worked as well as we hoped when he started the season looking like one of the best in baseball.
What Lies Ahead
Boston sits 1.5 games behind Kansas City for the final wild card spot. Fortunately, they returned to Fenway on Friday for a six-game home stand. Unfortunately, it starts with a series versus the AL West leading Houston Astros. The Astros appeared to be at the end of their consecutive AL Championship Series run earlier this year. They have since found their stride and reclaimed their familiar spot atop the West.
The last three games of the home stand will be versus the Texas Rangers, who the Sox recently went 2-1 against to start August. It would be nice to see the team rip off some wins to displace the Royals or the Minnesota Twins. Reinforcements in the form of RP Chris Martin has returned from the IL. O’Neill has gone to the IL with a leg infection, but the offense has not been the problem of late. All the pitchers will need to pitch in to keep the Sox in the hunt. Here’s to avoiding the late season flops of the last two seasons.
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