Top Five Storylines for Red Sox Down the Stretch

The Boston Red Sox are hotter than hot. They’re on fire; so much so that no fire department in America can put them out. They have won eight in a row and now look to a three-game set with the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

Prior to this eight game run, the Red Sox were playing mediocre baseball at best. In their final 11 games in July, they won four of them. From game to game, either the pitching was bad, the offense would take the night off, or both.

And it happened frequently.

Prior to August 1st, the Red Sox were spiraling out of control with no direction. They had lost first place in the AL East to the rival New York Yankees for the first time since late June.

But on August 1st, in the craziest game of the season, the Red Sox constantly battled, and beat, adversity from start to finish. They came out 12-10 winners over the Cleveland Indians on a walk off three-run home run by Christian Vazquez, only his second homer of the season.

It was that game that totally transformed the course of their season. Ever since, the team has been streaking.

Nevertheless, they still have lots of question marks and possible inconsistencies. Some more persistent that others.

If any team produces storylines in their push to the playoffs, it’s these Boston Red Sox.

And they’ll be coming from everywhere.

5. Can Drew Pomeranz Continue his Dominance?

When he first came to Boston, Drew Pomeranz was thought of as a failed trade by Dave Dombrowski and the Red Sox.

Pomeranz went from having a 2.47 ERA with the San Diego Padres to a 4.59 ERA with the Red Sox at season’s end. This was a guy that cost Red Sox their top pitching prospect, Anderson Espinoza.

But things have taken a dramatic turn.

As things stand now, Espinoza is done for the season due to Tommy John surgery while Pomeranz dominates. Pomeranz has a season-low for ERA at 3.36. He ranks number 13 in all of baseball with 11 wins. His 1.34 WHIP isn’t too shabby either.

The real questions will center around Pomeranz’s previous inabilities to close out a good season.

Last season, Pomeranz dropped off after a hot first half. One sign that may not happen again this season is how he has consistently improved. Since May, his monthly ERA has gone from 4.30 to 3.00 to 2.72. He even went 3-0 in July.

Pomeranz has become the staff’s number two starting pitcher after Chris Sale.

If the Red Sox want any shot at going deep into October, Pomeranz must be on his game.

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.

3. Can Chris Sale Even Pitch in the Playoffs?

Chris Sale is most likely to win the American League Cy Young award. His 2.57 ERA ranks number one in the American League, as do his 14 wins. To go along with that, his 0.88 WHIP, .193 opponent’s batting average, and 161 1/3 innings pitched all rank number one in the AL.

Even though he’s been this good, that does not guarantee postseason success. Last season, Rick Porcello won the AL Cy Young award and then proceeded to give up five earned runs in his one postseason start.

Sale has never pitched in the postseason. As good as he has been, we won’t know how he’ll do in the postseason until the postseason rolls around.

By the looks of things, the Red Sox will most likely win the AL East and go straight to the ALDS. It’s almost a guarantee that Sale will start Game 1.

Sale does have a history of falling off his ace status in September these past two years. Last season, Sale’s September ERA was 3.75 and in 2015, it was 5.04.

Judging by the way he attacks batters and how he handles his starts, Sale shouldn’t have any problem in the postseason.

Nonetheless, it will be a large storyline as the season rolls along.

2. How will John Farrell Handle Playing Time in the Infield?

Some would consider this to be a good problem.

Manager John Farrell has a lot of different options to go with in the infield. The problem will come with picking the right combination on any given night.

Rafael Devers is at third base, Dustin Pedroia has second and Eduardo Nunez can play third, second, and shortstop. All three are hitting really well and are key aspects to why this Red Sox team has been so hot over the past eight games.

Most people would solve the problem of not being able to have all three in the lineup at once by placing one of the trio at DH.

But then another problem would arise.

By placing one of them at DH, that would most likely take their one legitimate power bat out of the lineup in Hanley Ramirez. Even though Nunez and Devers may be hot, no one has the potential of ripping the cover off of the baseball quite like Hanley.

The likely scenario that Farrell will go with is either Devers or Nunez at DH and as a result, Ramirez’s playing time will be cut down. Ramirez could also be called upon to play more first base, which would then cut Mitch Moreland‘s playing time.

And of course, don’t forget about Brock Holt.

One wrong decision by Farrell regarding this situation could lead to mutiny in that spontaneous clubhouse.

Stay tuned for the “blame game” starring the Red Sox clubhouse and media, with their first contestant being the manager.