The Boston Red Sox haven't just come back down to earth; they're having a Shane McMahon-getting-hit-off-a-TitanTron type of fall. And while it's fair to wonder if this is just the law of averages impacting the Red Sox, or if it's the sign of something deeper, they have done enough for fans to give them the benefit of the doubt and believe they're a legitimate contender.
Boston was red-hot in July, finishing the month with a 21-4 record and going on a franchise-record-tying 15-game winning streak. But in August, the team is 6-4, having lost each of its last four games consecutively (for additional context, they are 1-4 against the Athletics and the Blue Jays this month).
Here's the thing, though: their numbers as a team are still really good. The Red Sox' pitching has been great (here are their MLB rankings in August: ERA - 5th, WHIP - 9th, AVG - 10th, and SO - 3rd), and their offense has mostly been solid (Runs - 1st, Hits - 4th, HR - T-4th, BB - 2nd, AVG - 3rd, OPS - 1st).
Boston is piling on some losses, but fans should still feel confident in the team's ability to make some real noise this season and potentially make some magic happen in October.
The Red Sox are still a great team on paper
It's important to remember that every player and team across every sport ever will go through their fair share of ups and downs. The 2026 Red Sox are no exception to that (and one cold streak shouldn't negate their prior month-and-a-half of action, despite what those who listen to Boston Sports radio might have to say).
This is still the same team that swept the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox (twice), Los Angeles Dodgers, and Tampa Bay Rays (actually, they're technically better after the addition of Adley Rutschman, who looked good in his team debut on Tuesday). And they haven't even gotten Roman Anthony or Garrett Crochet (or Trevor Story!) back on the field.
Willson Contreras (.167 BA through 24 at-bats in August) will hit again, and the team will get the rest it clearly needs. Plus, Boston is still 4.5 games ahead of the Texas Rangers for the second AL Wild Card spot.
The Red Sox are still very much a legitimate contender this season, and fans shouldn't overreact to their first real struggles in about two months. This team has something to it, and fans should be excited to see where they can go from here.
There is still a lot of baseball left to be played. And even if things don't look great right now, that shouldn't negate what the Red Sox have proven over and over again over the last handful of weeks.
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