Top Five Storylines for Red Sox Down the Stretch

4. Will the Back-End of the Bullpen Fall into Place?

To make a real push for the playoffs, the most important aspect a team must have is a shutdown, late-inning bullpen.

At the deadline, Dombrowski made two major moves, one of which helped solidify the back-end of the bullpen. Through the acquisition of Addison Reed, the Red Sox found a set-up man.

The goal for the Red Sox is to have Matt Barnes in the seventh, Reed in the eighth, and of course Craig Kimbrel in the ninth.

But it’s not that simple.

Barnes has serious trouble pitching on the road and typically walks a lot of batters. Reed is adjusting to a new team and new league midseason. In many cases, that can seriously derail a player’s season. He even gave up a home run to the first batter he faced as a member of the Red Sox. Kimbrel has been dominant, however, since the all-star break, Kimbrel’s blown two save opportunities and has an ERA of 2.45.

If the Red Sox want to beat the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS, or even in the ALCS, the Sox will need Barnes, Reed, and Kimbrel to be on their game for the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings.