Boston is currently slumping but is 5-1 against New York this season.
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Just two weeks ago, the Red Sox were winners of seven straight, closing in on the Blue Jays, and looking very much like a true contender.
Now, after a perplexing 4-8 stretch since – including an uninspiring 4-3, 11-inning loss to the Orioles on Tuesday – Boston (68-59) is six games back of Toronto and in need of a major jolt following a third-straight setback.
“Obviously, this last series wasn’t our best baseball, our brand of baseball,” veteran third baseman Alex Bregman said. “I feel like we’ll work hard to correct that.”
The Red Sox still hold one of the American League Wild Card spots, and they’ve won 26 of 41 since the start of July, but the product hasn’t looked as promising as of late.
There’s a lot of baseball left, but a critical four-game series against the Yankees starting Thursday could potentially foreshadow how the rest of the season unfolds.
Here are five things to know as the action gets underway in the Bronx:
1. Driving fans batty
After a largely sleepy showing Tuesday, the Red Sox had some life in the eighth inning when they loaded the bases with no outs.
Then Jarren Duran, Trevor Story, and Masataka Yoshida all struck out swinging in succession. Two or three runs would have been ideal, but even one would have helped.
The trend continued in the ninth. After a clutch two-run shot from newcomer Nathaniel Lowe tied it at 3, the Red Sox loaded the bases on three straight walks. Typically disciplined Trevor Story chased a pitch out of the zone before grounding out to end the inning.
In the 10th, Boston loaded the bases yet again, then Abraham Toro grounded into a double play. The Orioles scored in the 11th on a swinging bunt, then third base coach Kyle Hudson elected to hold Nate Eaton at third on a shallow fly ball from Roman Anthony.
Manager Alex Cora said the Red Sox respected center fielder Colton Cowser’s arm and decided before the series not to challenge him.
“We didn’t put the ball in play enough,” Cora said. “We’ve been very good offensively. Tonight, we struggled.”
The lineup has shown plenty of promise and prowess the bulk of the season, but as of late, it hasn’t been pretty. Boston has three runs or fewer in five of its last six games and just 11 extra-base hits during that span.
The Red Sox are 6-40 when trailing after six innings, 3-43 when trailing after seven, and 2-46 when trailing after eight. They’ve had their walk-off fun, no doubt about it, but right now, they’re lacking the killer instinct required to prevail in tight battles.
“Ton of opportunities,” Bregman said. “It felt like we put pressure on, getting guys on base, and didn’t come through and get the job done. We’ve got to find a way to get Nate in there in the last inning.”
2. For starters
Walker Buehler started strong Tuesday, then left the game in the fourth inning with runners on first and second and no outs. He’s now walked four in back-to-back outings and is still searching for the consistency that defined his game early in his career.
“It’s f***ing embarrassing, man,” Buehler said. “I think the last time I walked this many in a season, I threw 207 innings. It just sucks.”
Buehler understood why Cora went to the bullpen when he did.
“At some point, the kind of leash that I’m given has been earned,” Buehler said. “I think they did the right thing in coming to get me before the [Gunnar] Henderson at-bat.”
While Buehler has been up and down, the rest of the staff has been generally dependable. The Red Sox are scheduled to start Lucas Giolito, Brayan Bello, Garrett Crochet, and Dustin May against New York.
Giolito allowed one run, Bello two, and Crochet one against the Marlins. May surrendered two runs to the Orioles on Monday. All four gave the Red Sox a chance and put them an ideal spot.
Boston already has its most quality starts since 2018 with 59. Crochet has been electric, and Bello, Giolito, and May have done their job in recent weeks.
Now, having said that …
3. Lack of relief
The bullpen has faltered in four consecutive games, and it’s starting to look like a major concern with September quickly approaching.
Justin Wilson and Greg Weissert couldn’t escape from a jam in the fifth inning, as the Orioles scored three runs to seize command.
Yes, it was a difficult spot, and of course it’s partially on Buehler to advance deeper into the game, but it also shouldn’t have escalated to where it did. A string of hits and a wild pitch happened in succession, and suddenly, momentum was with the Orioles.
The Red Sox regrouped from there, and gave themselves a chance, then the Orioles manufactured a run in the 11th to prevail.
“It’s part of 162,” Cora said. “It’s going to happen. We lost two tough games in this homestand. We move on.”
The bullpen doesn’t need to be dominant (though it wouldn’t hurt), but it does need to be consistent and reliable. It won’t get any easier on the road against the Yankees, but it’s an ideal place to start.
4. Rocky road
The Red Sox are 27-34 on the road this season, including 6-9 since the All-Star break.
True contenders find ways to win in hostile environments. Taking three of four would be huge, but even a split would show this team is capable of making some noise in the weeks to come.
5. Continue the trend
The Red Sox are 5-1 against the Yankees this season, outscoring their rivals 35-27 following a signature sweep in mid-June.
It’s been a while, and now they’ll meet seven times in the next month. Competitive baseball this time of year is a treat, and it’s the first time in a few years where the games will really mean something for the Red Sox.
This stretch hasn’t been pretty, but they can quickly erase it with a big-time effort in New York.
Bregman is looking forward to his first taste of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry.
“It was tough being out early in the year,” he said. “I’m very thankful to be back.”
Trevor Hass is a sports producer for Boston.com, where he writes and edits stories about Boston’s professional teams, among other tasks.