The Red Sox are creeping up the Power Rankings
PHILADELPHIA - The Red Sox feel pretty good about themselves, and they should.
They are a team that, after Saturday night's 7-4 win over the Phillies, have now won eight in a row, boasting are record (21-14) that is just one game off of its pace set by the 2021 American League Championship Series squad after 35 games.
But even before Alex Cora's club's latest win, the good vibes were on display for everyone to see.
All the way up until first pitch, there stood pitcher Kutter Crawford, not leaving his post from the National Anthem along the third base line. Across the field, former Red Sox Matt Strahm presented an identical image just to the right of first base. It was a standoff.
But besides the obvious out-of-the-ordinary pregame presences of the two players, what really stood out was every member of the Red Sox dugout hanging over railing, pointing and screaming toward Crawford not to leave his post. And when the umpires attempted to budge the Sox pitcher from the spot to get the game underway, Cora walked onto the field, pointing to the Philadelphia side to make sure both sides were getting the a fair shot at winning this pregame showdown.
The Red Sox have gotten used to winning, whether it be in a baseball game or a just-before-first-pitch standoff. Sure enough, the Sox' execution won the day, with Crawford fake-stepping back and then jumping back to his post while Strahm had already begun his walk back to the dugout.
The Red Sox' players erupted in celebration. Just about three hours later, the high-fives resurfaced with Kenley Jansen walking back into that same visitors' dugout the owner of his 299th career save.
So, how did the Red Sox - this team with an over-under win total set at just about 74 wins before the season - get to this place of seemingly invincibility? Simple. This 26-player puzzle has discovered all the right pieces.
Adam Duvall is hurt, Jarren Duran emerges. Need to uncover one more late-inning reliever, Josh Winckowski pops up. Want to rest the hottest hitter in baseball, Masa Yoshida? Raimel Tapia and Rob Refsnyder become the latest spark plugs. Go up against a righty pitcher, send out Enmanuel Valdez at second. Lefty starter is on the docket? It's Christian Arroyo's turn. Who needs one catcher when the duo of Connor Wong and Reese McGuire can supply the second-best combined batting average (.308) and fifth-best OPS (.815) of any team's backstop group in the majors.
There is more.
With free agent-signee Joely Rodriguez still not back from his oblique injury, the Red Sox plucked lefty reliever Brennan Bernandino from Seattle to complement fellow southpaw Richard Bleier. And just for good measure, James Paxton and Garrett Whitlock on the horizon, offering potential protection for any further hiccups that the starting staff - which has earned five decisions during this eight-game win streak - might come across.
Cora has identified who can do what, and, because of it, his team has uncovered its identity. They drive starters from the game - having knocked out the opponents' starting pitcher by the end of the fourth inning a MLB-best 11 times. They score runs, the second-most (207) in the big leagues, to be exact.
And they win.
That was easy to understand before, during and after their latest go-round at Citizens Bank Park.