Boston Red Sox: The paper tigers of the AL East

Despite a rough 6-5 loss to the Blue Jays on Tuesday, the Boston Red Sox would appear to be in strong shape. They have overcome a rough start to the season to move to 42-33, the fourth best record overall in the American League and the second Wild Card. With over three months left in the 2022 campaign, there would seem to be plenty of time for the Red Sox to improve their position in the standings.

But there is an elephant in the room. The Red Sox have struggled against the AL East. Thus far, they have posted a 7-16 record against their division heading into Wednesday, easily the worst winning percentage of any of the teams in the East.

Boston Red Sox in for a brutal second half

Due to the quirks of their schedule, the Red Sox have a gauntlet coming up. They have played the Yankees and Rays just three times each, and have gone 1-2 against both teams. Their loss against the Blue Jays dropped them to 2-7 on the season against Toronto. The Red Sox have even struggled against the Orioles, going 3-5 against Baltimore.

It is not going to get any easier. Yes, the Red Sox only have ten more games against the Blue Jays, which will certainly help. However, they have 16 games against the Yankees, a juggernaut that shows zero signs of slowing down. Those games could be particularly brutal to the Red Sox record.

Everything changes in baseball. That is going to be the case with the Red Sox as they are likely to add pieces in an attempt to bolster their playoff hopes. Even then, it is difficult to imagine that they will make much of a dent against teams such as the Yankees and Rays if they struggle to defeat the Orioles. Their status as a playoff team may well be a mirage.

The Boston Red Sox appear to be a playoff contender. Their struggles against the AL East show that they may be a pretender instead.