Maybe Brayan Bello is just what the Red Sox need to secure their first series win against an AL East opponent in 2022. Because this is getting ridiculous.
With Tuesday’s 8-4 loss, the Red Sox now have a sub-.500 record against every AL East team, yet they’re still the No. 2 team in the division. A win on Wednesday would put Boston at 3-3 with the Rays, but they’ll still only be 11-16 against the AL East. Even with a Wednesday win, things are more likely to get worse for the Red Sox in the near future with the Yankees coming to town this weekend.
The Red Sox might be able to skate to the postseason with miserable numbers against AL East opponents, but it’s going to be a problem at some point. If the regular season ended right now, four AL East teams would make the postseason. Things like failing to plate at least one run when there are runners on second and third with no outs cannot happen (like it did on Tuesday). If anything, the AL East is doing the Red Sox a favor by letting them know they need to do a lot more than they have against quality opponents.
The Red Sox need to finish this series off. If not to quiet the chatter surrounding their struggles against the AL East, then to give them some confidence for when baseball’s best team comes to Boston. The Red Sox need every advantage they can get vs. the Yankees — otherwise, we could be looking at much worse than a series loss come Sunday.