Can the Boston Red Sox continue to be one of the league's hottest teams?
Yahoo Sports senior MLB analysts Jordan Shusterman and Jake Mintz are joined by MassLive beat writer Chris Cotillo to discuss if the Boston Red Sox are a real threat to make a run in the postseason. Hear the full conversation on the "Baseball Bar-B-Cast" podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Spotify or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
So how good do you sense that they are?
Yes, the American League is weak and the opportunity is there, but how much have they changed what you think about, them as a ball club?
And now, of course, they bring in these additions that, that bolster that, but even before that, how much have they really changed your mind?
Yeah, I mean, I think that there have been a couple of stretches during this prolonged streak where, you know, they've either, gotten a good break, here or there.
They played the Mets and the Angels on a road trip.
Both of those teams were kind of looked in the middle of July like they were ready to go home for the season when they played them.
But then again- the Red Sox came home.
And so, like, that's the devil's advocate.
You could look at it and be like, "Okay, they just played the Mets."
The Mets tr- found ways to throw those three games away right before the break.
And, you know, they played some bad teams.
But they swept the Yankees at home, four games.
They swept the Rays at home, which was, I think, the most impressive of all this.
Came out of the All-Star break, double header, swept them, beat them Saturday, beat them Sunday.
The Rays didn't play particularly well, but still very talented team.
They find ways to win.
The Red Sox found ways to beat them.
Then they, you know, obviously went to Dodger Stadium over this weekend and, and won all three games.
In Sacramento, I think is even the more impressive one of this last road trip because they played pretty badly for all four days.
Four close games they couldn't hit.
They didn't like the batter's eye out there at whatever it's called park, and, they ended up winning three out of four- The Sut, dude.
The Sut even though The Sut, sorry.
The Health.
They, they just like, you know, they've had all these things, and they've just kinda kept it moving.
It's not, you know, a 20-game stretch now, it's a 40-game stretch when they've had a lot of injuries in the middle of that.
They've done it all without Anthony and Crochet.
I think that, very obviously no team, you know, u- unless you're a true powerhouse, which probably, you know, they're not, is gonna go 32 and 8 and be able to repeat that over and over and over again.
What I do think is really interesting about this team, and should really scare other teams in the playoffs, and I think is probably the biggest reason why Breslow went out and did what he did, is that the rotation is, by all accounts, elite, even without Crochet.
And if that's still the case and everybody's healthy, it's gonna be really, really scary to face in October.
