Although he's been covering the team for decades now, Shank doesn't know what to think about the 2024 Boston Red Sox:
We're still wondering exactly what the Red Sox are, and other thoughts
Picked-up pieces while worrying that Jerod Mayo might be the second coming of Daddy Butch Hobson …
▪ The 2024 Red Sox were built to make money, avoid the luxury tax, and probably finish last. After an offseason promise of “full throttle,” the Sox became Fenway Sports Group’s “golf widow” and were tossed into the 162-game grind with almost zero hope.
Then came the surprise. Under the guidance of Alex Cora, and some nifty magic by pitching coach Andrew Bailey, the Sox exceeded expectations and became an interesting watch. There were stretches when they were winning more than any other team in baseball. They worked their way to 11 games over .500 and achieved the illusion of contention that upper management covets.
Galvanizing nicely, Boston’s Dom Smith All-Stars have gifted New England with the thing we really want from our local baseball team: games that matter in August and September.
Fair to say the Red Sox stumbled into some success so far this year. But wait - it's gonna get worse:
The Sox have played two-thirds of their season. They’ve given us a nice ride, but things are trending in the wrong direction. Going into the weekend, they’d lost eight of 12 and given up a whopping 94 runs in 12 games since the All-Star break. Eighteen of those 94 runs were unearned. Boston relievers have a 7.35 ERA since the break.
The vaunted Bailey pitching corps has gotten worse every month. The March-April ERA was 2.59, May 4.12, June 4.38, and July 4.91. The Sox lead the majors in errors and unearned runs.
Yes, the Red Sox are contending for a wild card. So are Tampa Bay, Minnesota, Kansas City, Houston, and Seattle.
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