Why the Red Sox clubhouse is so good
NEW YORK - The Red Sox did what they needed to do at Yankee Stadium, winning three of the four games while picking up a bit more late-August optimism along the way.
But that one loss - the 7-2 defeat at the hands of the Yankees Sunday night - gave the Sox a bit of a nudge to wake up from this dream that the path to the World Series was now predestined to be smooth sailing, with the Yankees destined to fall off a cliff.
Where they stand heading into four games at Camden Yards is a wild card race that has all three teams - the Red Sox, Yankees and Mariners - within a game of one another. The Royals are also still lurking, sitting three games out of playoff contention.
As for how the Red Sox feel about how they're positioned for these last 31 regular-season games, the Bronx provided more good than bad. There was Nathaniel Lowe's emergence, going 6-for-12 with a walk and five RBI. David Hamilton made his presence felt when afforded the opportunity, getting four hits in eight at-bats while putting the pressure on a shaky Yankees defense. And Brayan Bello continued to define himself as a legitimate No. 2 starter for a team in desperate need of such a thing after Garrett Crochet.
There was more. But there were also bits of uneasiness sprinkled in along the way, as well.
The Red Sox are heading to Camden Yards without any certainty regarding the last two spots in their starting rotation. Dustin May, who had been good in his previous two outings, did nothing to reel in the benefit of the doubt, allowing five runs over 4 1/3 innings.
And while the spot immediately after May in the rotation might ultimately find a taker via the promotion of such pitchers as Kyle Harrison or Peyton Tolle, for now, the Sox are living life with openers as their No. 5 starter. In Monday's case, it will be Brennan Bernardino, whom Richard Fitts will likely follow.
Suddenly, the stark reality of not securing another reliable starter at the trade deadline has drifted back into the Red Sox's conversation.
Then there were the Yankees, a team that showed up Sunday, fighting off the slings and arrows of a fan base that had reached its wits' end when it came to tolerating bad defense and fundamentals. But lo and behold, Sunday brought back the team that has positioned itself for a postseason run.
Carlos Rodon allowed just one hit over 5 2/3 innings. Late-inning relievers Luke Weaver and Devin Williams displayed dominant images of themselves. And the team with the far-and-away most home runs in baseball hit four more.
On top of it all, now the Yankees get to play the Nationals and White Sox in back-to-back series. And to finish off their regular season schedule, Aaron Boone's club will the Twins, Orioles (twice) and White Sox.
Moral of the story: These last four games were a chapter for the Red Sox, but by no means the entire book.