Boston Red Sox open season’s 2nd half with three games in Detroit

Fresh off the All-Star break, the Boston Red Sox look to keep their winning ways going with a three-game set against the Detroit Tigers.

Oh, to be in the position of the Boston Red Sox at the break.

On one hand, this is a team riding a heavy wave of positive momentum. The Red Sox collected 68 wins so far in 2018, winning 12 of their last 13 before the break.

This streak pushed their lead over the New York Yankees to 4.5 games. Sometimes, when playing like this, the last thing you want is something interrupting the momentum.

The flip side of the coin is that the break provides exactly that. Every team welcomes the four days off as a chance to rest and heal.  And staying healthy is going to be big for Boston in the second-half of 2018.

Injuries piled up over the past ten days. Joining the previously injured Drew Pomeranz, Dustin Pedroia and Steven Wright were Rafael Devers, Eduardo Rodriguez and Christian Vazquez.

The bad news: Pedroia is unlikely to play again this season and Rodriguez could be looking at a mid-September return (at best).

Good news: There was no structural damage to the shoulder of Devers and he can be activated as early as July 21. And Pomeranz looked good in his most recent rehab outing, allowing only one hit in six innings of work.

Even with encouraging signs from Pomeranz, the Red Sox should be in the market for another starter. Having too many arms is usually not a bad problem to have in these grueling summer months.

For now, the Red Sox will take it one game and one series at a time, starting with the Detroit Tigers.