The return of Eck
Maybe it will take a turn for the worse. But for now, the Red Sox have to like the way things are trending.
Part of that upward mobility conversation has to do with the team, which has now won five straight after its 9-3 win over the Twins at Target Field and sits just 1 1/2 games out of the final Wild Card spot.
But another piece of the puzzle that has allowed for the optimism is something that surfaced Monday night. That was the effectiveness of Jarren Duran and Triston Casas. And throw in James Paxton and Alex Verdugo to the mix, while you're at it.
In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, "To lose patience is to lose the battle." At least for the time being, the Red Sox are winning.
Duran is the former top prospect, whose roller coaster of a career was starting to make too many starting to feel uneasy up until recently. A 1.061 OPS in April turned into .670 in May. But now, the outfielder is seemingly paying off on his promise, collecting three doubles in the latest win while hitting .326 with an .885 OPS this month.
As for Casas, the guy who was supposed to be benched - a fate that lasted one day - he lived up to his word from Sunday night. He was a difference-maker. After blasting his eighth home run of the season, Monday night, the first baseman is now hitting .273 with an .894 OPS in June, drawing almost as many walks (12) as strikeouts (13).
Verdugo, of course, might be the most important payoff for patience, sitting on the cusp of an All-Star appointment after three seasons of uncomfortably living under the shadow of the Mookie Betts trade. After his fifth straight multi-hit game, the outfielder is hitting .303 with an .844 OPS.
And, finally, there is Paxton, the pitcher who the Red Sox basically paid in 2022 to only pitch in 2023. The payoff was frankly been more than the team could have asked for so far, with the lefty compiling a 3.29 ERA with a .210 batting average and .640 OPS against. There have also been 51 strikeouts and just 11 walks in 38 1/3 innings. This time around, his only blemish came courtesy a Christian Vazquez three-run homer, with Paxton going 6 1/3 innings on the way to the win.
Maybe all the waiting, patience and perseverance is about to culminate in a very real run by the Red Sox. It happened a year ago, going 20-6 in June before watching the wheels fall off the following month.
“Patience is the best remedy for every trouble.” —Plautus.
At least it was Monday night.