A few days ago we proclaimed the Red Sox were coming up to a crossroads. Fortunately for them, the path leading up to the fork in the road includes a trip to Kansas City.
It's no secret that the Royals have been one of the best tonics for teams who need to get better this season, sitting with the worst record in baseball (19-41) after their 8-3 loss to the Red Sox Tuesday night. And sure enough, for Alex Cora's team this just what the doctor ordered. (For a complete recap of the Red Sox win, click here.)
But the victory in KC was just part of the equation. The image portrayed by the Red Sox was much more notable.
For the first time in a long time, they looked like a team that could actually go on some sort of roll.
For the second game in a row J.D. Martinez offered the middle-of-the-order presence that helped carry the Red Sox so many times in 2018, coming away with three hits. Brock Holt continued to serve as a viable second base replacement, going 2-for-2 to raise his average to .400 (8-for-20) since returning to the team on May 17. Rafael Devers continued to emerge as an offensive and defensive stalwart, this time while hitting cleanup. And starter Eduardo Rodriguez seems to be ready for one of his runs, having allowed three runs over 11 2/3 innings in his last two starts.
So, why should we view this Red Sox team any different than a few days ago after Saturday night's loss at Yankee Stadium? Perhaps that was the wake-up call they needed. Sunday undeniably offered the vibe of a team in some semblance of an early June, do-or-die situation. They played well. They won. And now they get to continue to build off of that while rolling through Kauffman Stadium.
It's not going to be as easy as Tuesday night made it seem, for sure. They have 17 games in 16 days, having to take on two teams -- Tampa Bay and Texas -- in playoff contention immediately after leaving Kansas City. Then after a quick three-game respite in Baltimore, the Sox will take on two more American League postseason possibilities in the Twins and White Sox. By then we will truly have found out if this team has rediscovered its mojo.
Reinforcements Mitch Moreland, Nathan Eovaldi and even Steven Wright on the horizon. The likes of Devers and Xander Bogaerts are becoming the stars the Red Sox need them to be. And a good chunk of the relief corps -- in Tuesday night's case Heath Hembree, Marcus Walden and Brandon Workman -- are looking more like solutions than problems.
Rodriguez to 6-1 with a 3.86 ERA (25 ER in 58.1 IP) in his last 10 starts after starting the season 0-2, 12.38 ERA (11 ER in 8.0 IP). Boston improved to 9-1 in his last 10 starts, and 46-7 (.868) when they score at least three runs of support for Rodriguez, including 25-1 since Sept. 12, 2017.