Steven Wright was the first of many players who will be called up for the month of September. (Photo by Kelly O’Connor via SittingStill.smugmug.com)
The Boston Red Sox went 4-2 over the last week and are now 60-76 with 26 games remaining including Monday’s contest against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday. The pitching has done well and the offense has scored enough runs to keep on winning despite Dustin Pedroia missing time with concussion symptoms the past couple days after being elbowed in the head by Logan Forsythe on Saturday night.
The team is still playing spoiler with six games against the New York Yankees, three against the Kansas City Royals and three against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Plus, the young prospects get a chance to show what they have for the team going forward, specifically Mookie Betts.
Road Wins Continue
The Red Sox road record may not be one of the best in the AL, but it has slowly improved over the past month. The team has won eight of its last 11 to climb up to 31-36 on the season away from Fenway Park.
The squad has allowed four runs or less in seven of those 11 games and could actually have a winning record on the road if they can keep it up the final month of the season. It will be a tall task, but with the offense coming alive and the team playing well on the road, then the Red Sox might be able to just pull it off.
Rosters Expand
The Red Sox started off September 1 by calling up knuckleballer Steven Wright to be a part of the Red Sox bullpen for the time being.
Most likely on Tuesday, Brandon Workman and Anthony Ranaudo will get called back up to make starts at Yankee Stadium against the Yankees as the Red Sox are going with a six-man rotation for some of September. The team might have difficulty making sure all six pitchers get the ball every time, but it is a good idea to see what these pitchers can do at the major league level.
The front office will likely bring up more players once the team returns to Fenway on Friday, so stay tuned for more updates!
Going Forward
The Red Sox have a full slate with seven games over the next week, including Monday’s game at Tropicana Field, a three-game set at Yankee Stadium and three more over the weekend against the Blue Jays. With so many quality opponents this week, the Red Sox could have some trouble, but it might be another week the squad wins more games than it loses.
Prediction: 4-3; the Red Sox will pull out a series win against both the Yankees and the Blue jays this week as both teams have struggled in recent series.