MIAMI — Hopefully while sailing around on a yacht somewhere waiting to dock for fireworks, John Henry had a chance to glance at NESN on Thursday. If he did, he would have seen a Red Sox team worth investing in.
Against all odds and preseason prognostications (hand up!), the Red Sox are in the mix — and they’re for real. Their dramatic, 12-inning win over the Marlins on Thursday put them at eight games over .500 for the first time this season and continued a couple of very encouraging patterns. Boston’s fifth road sweep of the year put the club at 27-16 on the road so far this season. They’re 18-10 since June 1 and will find themselves in a playoff spot — and within just 5 ½ games of the Yankees when the teams meet in the Bronx on Friday night.
“It’s a group that, they really like each other,” said manager Alex Cora. “We need to find the magic at home and play better there because if we do that, we’ll be fine. We will. Because what we’re doing on the road is really special.”
With just under four weeks to go before the July 30 deadline, the Red Sox have shown they’re worthy of the front office believing in them enough to be buyers. Would a deadline sale of veterans like Kenley Jansen, Tyler O’Neill and Nick Pivetta (who increased his stock with an excellent start Thursday) set the team up in an even better position for what already looks like a bright future? Sure. But as the last few seasons proved, teams only have so many chances at postseason runs. As an ex-player, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow should recognize that. And barring a complete collapse over the final 16 games before the deadline — including matchups against the bottom-feeding A’s and Rockies — the Red Sox will be in a spot where it will make sense to add.
“There’s still a long ways to go before the deadline but we’re playing really well,” said outfielder and clubhouse leader Rob Refsnyder. “Obviously, it’s Breslow’s decision and a front office decision but we’ve just got to keep winning series. I think Breslow has already shown he has gone out and gotten guys like Dom (Smith) and (Garrett) Cooper. He’s willing to make moves fast. He could have just stood pat and not done anything. He’s already shown the willingness to keep improving the roster.”
Earlier this week, Cora said that the group is not trying to win to pressure the front office into buying, instead noting that the intrinsic state of being a big league player or coach means wanting wins at all times. Still, the dial has been turned up on Breslow, and on a larger scale, a Henry-led ownership that clearly believed its team wasn’t worth going all-in on this winter. But these Red Sox have won, and proven themselves, in spite of ownership, not with its full backing.
To really contend in October, the Red Sox will need another starter — a team official acknowledged this week that asking Pivetta, Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford to keep shouldering such a massive load was unrealsitic — and they could benefit from a right-handed bat, too. The bullpen will get stronger when Liam Hendriks returns, possibly to form an elite 1-2-3 punch with Jansen and Chris Martin. And the looming return of Triston Casas will make a surprisingly productive lineup even stronger.
That shouldn’t be enough, though. Cora keeps using the term “get greedy” to describe how his players should be thinking. Breslow should take note.
“Triston was arguably top three left-handed hitters in baseball in the second half,” Refsnyder said. “That’s gonna be a big boost when he comes back. Liam, that speaks for itself. It’s kinda like we’re getting guys at the deadline but that’s all above our paygrade. We’re just supposed to come to the field every day and play baseball. If we keep improving and keep winning series, we’ll put ourselves right in the hunt of it.”
Thursday’s win, played in front of a split crowd of 20,539 at loanDepot Park, was one of Boston’s best of the season. There was the dominant performance of Pivetta, who took a no-hitter into the seventh. There was the heroic game-saving throw by Jarren Duran to nail the potential game-winning run at home plate in the ninth, which Cora called the “biggest” of the outfielder’s career. Speed and athleticism, as it has so often over the first three months of the year, shown bright, too. Even before putting the ball in play and creating chaos on the bases late, the Red Sox took an early 2-0 lead by putting pressure on the bases when David Hamilton and Tyler O’Neill executed two double steals that led to runs.
“They’re young and athletic. We can do a lot of stuff,” Cora said. “We almost stole this game in nine innings with Hammy stealing third twice and us putting the ball in play.”
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The Red Sox were dealt a series of big blows late in the game with usually steady relievers Justin Slaten, Brennan Bernardino and Zack Kelly all helping to surrender leads in big spots. But by continuing to fight in an extra-innings climate that suits their style of play perfectly, the Sox were able to walk away victorious.
“It’s extremely entertaining,” Pivetta said. “It’s a character (trait) of how hard these guys work every single day. They show up. We’re never out of baseball games from Pitch 1 to the end.”
That the Red Sox have exceeded expectations and established an electric brand of baseball through 86 games shouldn’t be enough in the eyes of those running them. That they’re more talented and deeper than a year ago isn’t enough, either. Teams get hot in October and either win it all or get close. The belief in the clubhouse — which is starting to seep beyond the walls of the room — is that the Red Sox are legit and not susceptible to prolonged slumps because of improved starting pitching and a fast brand of play. It’s time for that same level of belief to climb upstairs at Fenway.
“I think it’s a really good team,” said Refsnyder. “You don’t see many glaring holes. We have more depth this year … I think the roster’s pretty strong and it’s only getting stronger.
