John Schreiber explains how he got so good
There is no mystery. The Red Sox can actually win this season.
It's a proclamation that couldn't obviously have been made a month ago. When you're sitting eight games under .500 that doesn't usually lend itself to optimism regarding winning it all. But Alex Cora's team has officially flipped the script.
They are coming off a series win over one of the better teams in baseball, claiming a Nick Pivetta-driven 6-4 win over the Cardinals Sunday. It was the Sox' fifth consecutive series victory, and have gone 9-1-2 in their last 12 series going back to May 10.
And when they do lose, the Sox have made sure to bounce back, with their starting pitchers going 7-1 with a 1.95 ERA after their last 12 defeats. They actually have lost back-to-back games just once since May 10.
To put it all in perspective, since that 10th day in May, other than the Yankees - (because nobody can compare themselves to that team so far this season) - there hasn't been a better team in baseball than the Red Sox, who have gone 26-12 over that stretch.
So, why all the facts and figures for a 36-31 team that is still 1/2-game out of Wild Card consideration, sitting behind the Blue Jays (38-28), Guardians (34-28), and Rays (36-30)? Because, as it turns out, this is a really good team can deserves to be viewed as a legitimate contender.
Appearing on the Greg Hill Show Thursday, Chaim Bloom seemed non-committal when it came to the approach toward the trade deadline.
Chaim Bloom explains his approach to the trade deadline
It's officially time to commit.
While last season's trade deadline ultimately worked out well for Bloom, securing the ultimately useful services of Kyle Schwarber, Austin Davis and Hansel Robles, there was that sad trombone period in early August, where the team got the sense that not enough had been done. It led to a downturn before the late-season resurgence.
It's time to learn from that lesson. Leave no doubt about it. Show the clubhouse, and the fan base, this team - that is trending toward looking dramatically different after 2022 - is in it to win it.
Yes, you have Chris Sale coming back, with James Paxton not too far behind. And the idea of adding phenom Brayan Bello to the mix should offer some giddiness, with the likes of pitchers Josh Winckowski and Brandon Walter adding increased security.
Some might argue that the internal reinforcements can be enough, and should be the priority as to not deplete from the future. That wouldn't be reading the room. And, once again, that's the lesson that should have been learned from early August of last season.
In other words, don't wait around and leave no doubt to how this team should be viewed.
Call Colorado on Daniel Bard, who is trending toward becoming an All-Star closer. Give Washington a jingle to ask about Josh Bell, who be next-level when it came to finding the Red Sox' left-handed-hitting complement at first base.
Boom. Boom. There you go. And if it isn't them, then pick from a long list of other late-inning righty relievers and lefty-hitting first baseman who are excelling for bad teams.
Bloom played the 2020 trade deadline perfect, not waiting around for the full month to expire before taking advantage of the Phillies' bullpen insecurities. He struck at just the right time, and landed with Pivetta and Connor Seabold because of it.
This is another case of thinking outside the box when it comes to the trade deadline.
The Red Sox have gone a long way toward defining themselves. Now it's time to add the punctuation.
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