On Sunday, the Pink Sox formally entered the ultimate two weeks of the 2025 common season. Sustaining their maintain on one of many American League’s three Wild Playing cards might be an uphill battle. Boston’s remaining schedule – Athletics at Fenway Park, a highway journey to Tampa and Toronto, and a closing trio at house with the Detroit Tigers – is among the many most tough in Main League Baseball.
The Herald’s Pink Sox reporters, Gabrielle Starr and Mac Cerullo, talk about the tightrope stroll forward.
Gabrielle Starr: I do know I’ve mentioned this at the least as soon as in one in all our earlier iterations, however this season has completely flown by. I really feel just like the All-Star break was 5 minutes in the past, but additionally the Rafael Devers commerce feels prefer it was years in the past someway. The remaining 12 video games will in all probability be over within the blink of an eye fixed, too, however at this second I can’t determine how I believe they’re going to shake out. It’s been a tough stretch for the lineup with out Roman Anthony, and in contrast to the Yankees, whose remaining 4 sequence are in opposition to sub-.500 groups, the Pink Sox have some extraordinarily tough opponents left. Do you suppose they’ll pull by means of and get to October?
Mac Cerullo: October? Sure. I believe they’ve sufficient of a lead over the Texas Rangers that they need to be capable of at the least keep over the playoff cutline. However internet hosting a playoff sequence? That’s wanting like a a lot harder proposition. The Pink Sox will want the Yankees to slide up, in any other case a three-game set at Yankee Stadium would grow to be the membership’s finest case state of affairs. If the Pink Sox stumble, they could be taking a look at an extended flight to Seattle or Houston.
The highway forward
GS: Effectively, let’s take a look at the remaining 4 opponents and the way the Pink Sox fared in opposition to them beforehand this 12 months. They noticed the A’s in Sacramento final week and went 2-1, with the loss being a winnable sport (small comfort). The Sox are 8-2 in opposition to the Rays, however 3-7 in opposition to the Blue Jays; since they final met on June 29, Toronto is 42-24, Boston is 41-24. When the Sox went to Detroit in mid-Might, they acquired swept in three video games, together with a blowout and back-to-back walkoffs.
MC: The advantage of dealing with Detroit final is that by the point we get to the ultimate weekend they may have already locked up the AL Central title and a bye to the division spherical. They’ll in all probability wish to relaxation lots of their starters, and on the very least it could make sense for them to both relaxation Tarik Skubal or restrict his workload.
As for the opposite sequence, the Pink Sox need to beat the A’s at house. Little question about that. And the Rays? They’ve had Tampa Bay’s quantity all season, so there’s no cause why the Pink Sox shouldn’t go to Toronto in a strong place. The AL East might be already out of attain, however who is aware of? If the Pink Sox can sweep that sequence and get a bit assist, there may be nonetheless a path.
GS: The Pink Sox could have had the Rays’ quantity all season, however that’s precisely the kind of scenario that worries me; they have been 8-2 in opposition to the Yankees earlier than this weekend, and the primary two video games have been an unmitigated catastrophe. They’ve additionally struggled in opposition to quite a lot of dangerous groups and misplaced some very winnable video games, so despite the fact that they need to be capable of beat the A’s, I’m not going to jot down this sequence off. The offense – or lack thereof – since Anthony’s damage is an enormous cause why. They entered Sunday hitting .232 with a .656 OPS in 9 video games since he went down, and although they staved off a Yankees sweep on Sunday evening, they scored all six of their runs within the first inning and left six males on base within the remaining eight.
MC: Anthony’s damage got here at a horrible time, however the Pink Sox ought to at the least get Wilyer Abreu again later this week. That may assist so much.
Pitching drawback?
MC: Clearly the Pink Sox received’t get wherever if they’ll’t hit, however their pitching scenario will warrant shut watching down the stretch. On Monday the membership introduced that Connelly Early will get the ball on Tuesday, Lucas Giolito on Wednesday and Brayan Bello on Thursday. One would think about Garrett Crochet will pitch over the weekend in Tampa, however past that the membership goes to need to piece issues collectively for at the least 5 of their final 12 video games. Do you suppose Early, Payton Tolle and Kyle Harrison might be as much as the duty?
GS: Early’s big-league debut in opposition to the A’s was traditionally spectacular, however I count on them to be considerably extra ready for him the second time round. Tolle’s debut was nice as nicely, however he’s been hit exhausting and struck out solely 4 batters over the 2 outings since, neither of which lasted longer than three innings. Of the three, Harrison has essentially the most big-league expertise by far. He could have made his Pink Sox debut out of the bullpen, however I count on him to make at the least one begin, particularly since Bello has struggled in his final three video games; if the Sox can discover a technique to give him additional relaxation, they are going to. It’s clear the Pink Sox pitching depth is far stronger than it was final 12 months. The query is, have they got sufficient high quality to get them the place they wish to go, or is it simply amount?
MC: It’s actually type of superb the Pink Sox are even within the dialog contemplating what number of accidents they’ve sustained on the pitching employees. Tanner Houck. Kutter Crawford. Richard Fitts. Hunter Dobbins. Cooper Criswell. If any of these guys have been wholesome and efficient, think about what a distinction they might have made? And that isn’t even factoring in Patrick Sandoval, who received’t make it again in time from Tommy John surgical procedure; Dustin Might, who underperformed earlier than getting harm; or Walker Buehler, who flat out didn’t work out. That the membership nonetheless has gamers of Early, Tolle and Harrison’s caliber obtainable to assist get them throughout the end line is a luxurious, however the Pink Sox are asking lots of them.
GS: Hopefully they’ll meet the second.
Prediction time
GS: Give me your prediction for these final two weeks? Will now we have our first Pink October since ‘21 or find yourself on the surface wanting in once more?
MC: It could be anxious at instances, however I believe they’ll get it finished. Put me down for the Pink Sox ending 89-73, good for the second Wild Card and a visit to Yankee Stadium on Sept. 30.
GS: I’m a bit extra cautious, so I’m guesstimating 88-74. Right here’s hoping the most effective rivalry in baseball goes again to October.
