The Red Sox' home stand against the Baltimore Orioles and Miami Marlins is one fans will look back on and realize defined the season. It will prove to have been an indicator of where, or if, the Red Sox will be playing in October. These last five games were their shot to assert their drive to further prove themselves as playoff contenders.
Unfortunately, they didn't prove much.
In their last three games, the Sox went 3-of-22 with runners in scoring position. At least two of them were with the bases loaded, in both the 9th and the 10th inning last night against the Orioles. They had Baltimore on the ropes, but would never score a single run.
Nathaniel Lowe had hit a clutch two-run home run in the 9th to tie the game, and he gave the Red Sox a chance that, frankly, they didn't really deserve. Say what you want about Lowe and his performance and behavior in D.C., but he came up clutch when needed. What about the rest of the team?
Too Many Hitters Are Letting the Red Sox Down
Alex Bregman, Jarren Duran, and Trevor Story are the only hitters who have been consistently making contact with the baseball in clutch situations. Then there are other guys like Abraham Toro, Carlos Narvaez, and Ceddanne Rafaela, who have only been performing in spurts this season. Rafaela and Toro have been the biggest impostors on the team for about a month now.
Rafaela, who had an excellent run before the All-Star Break, had now been batting .194 with 21 strikeouts, and only 20 hits in his last 28 games (103 at-bats). Toro has been worse, batting .182, with only 14 hits, 10 strikeouts, and an OPS of .512 in his last 24 games (77 at-bats). He's worse because he's playing in selective at-bats that Cora puts him in to boost his advantage. So far, he's been the worst hitter on the roster since the break.
It's not just that, they've also been losing games they should've been winning. They are third-worst in the blown saves category with 22, only behind the Texas Rangers (24) and the Los Angeles Angels (27). They're 16-24 in one-run games, and are 7-12 in extra-innings losses.
Now, their road record comes into play at 27 - 34, and it will be put to the test right away with back-to-back four-game series on the road against the Yankees and Orioles. Both teams, as of late, have been red-hot. The Yankees have recently surged to take the #1 Wild Card spot from Boston, while the Orioles had just recently won a 3-game series with Seattle, swept the Astros, and now just swept the Red Sox for two games at home.
Cleveland has been surging once again (much to our surprise after selling at the deadline), and Kansas City is pushing as well. Both teams are 2.5 games back and are within striking distance of the Red Sox in the Wild Card race.
If the Red Sox don't go .500 on this road trip, it's going to become a serious problem. With a positive run differential, a 41-24 record at home, and talent up and down this roster on top with amazing locker room chemistry, there is no excuse for this.