This comeback story the Boston Red Sox are writing has been a ton of fun. I can't argue with that. About a month ago, I and so many others had written the team off completely, and it was easy to see why.
They were briefly at the bottom of the AL standings with a not-so-appealing offense, a great pitching staff that had no run support, and a plethora of injuries to key players to deal with. Everybody said the team should sell at the deadline.
But things are changing now. Boston is 46-48, but the team is winners of nine in a row, has won 15 of their last 18 games, and entered the All-Star break just 0.5 games back from the third AL Wild Card spot. The Red Sox are also third in the AL East standings and are seven games behind the New York Yankees for the second spot.
Boston has seemed to figure things out, and the vibes are high. But nothing has changed the fact that this team isn't a serious World Series contender.
The Red Sox are fun now, but they're not seriously competitve
Outside of the Yankees, the Red Sox haven't faced much real competition over the past few weeks. The Washington Nationals (who won their series, 2-1) are currently 48-49 and own the fifth-worst record in the NL. The Los Angeles Angels are tied for the worst record in the majors (along with the Kansas City Royals). And the New York Mets have been one of the biggest disappointments this season and are the second-worst team in the NL.
(The Red Sox did sweep the Chicago White Sox, who are currently 50-45, were fresh off a series win against the Cleveland Guardians, and swept the Athletics just before the All-Star break. That at least deserves a mention.)
It's also tough to imagine that Boston's hot streak is nothing more than that. You mean to tell me the Red Sox are in a good position if they need Anthony Seigler, Andruw Monasterio, and Connor Wong/Carlos Narvaez to produce in the postseason?
The Red Sox have a fun team, but their past three weeks or so of play don't automatically negate the horrendous three months we had to endure before that. Maybe they really are turning a new leaf, and maybe their recent stretch is a better indication of how good they actually are. But don't be too surprised if they come back down to earth sooner rather than later.
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