In some ways, the Red Sox are the envy of Major League Baseball

CLEVELAND - Alex Cora said it best after his team's 8-0 win over the Guardians Wednesday night: "Nobody is going to feel sorry for the Red Sox."

There might be some temptation, however.

This is a team that is currently hurling itself through the final days of April missing four of their five original starting pitchers due to injuries - Garrett Whitlock, Nick Pivetta, Lucas Giolito, and, now, Brayan Bello. The entire infield is also comprised of players not scheduled to be starters at their respective positions when the 2024 blueprint was drawn up.

Isn't it quaint, one might think, these 14 wins the Red Sox have managed. A well-meaning bunch who have squeezed out just enough to live life above .500 as of April 24.

Perhaps the thought process of many throughout baseball is something along the lines of: After all they have been through, let them have some semblance of hope.

"I don't know how people outside the organization see us but I think we’re a very capable group," said Red Sox Rafael Devers, who returned to the lineup in fine fashion with three hits, including a home run. "We have very young talent here. They're doing their job and they’re stepping up and it’s very positive for us to win despite all the injuries."

But not to be lost in the chaos of roster moves and replacements is some elements of this equation which even the most injury-free, financially-robust clubs would be starved for. Yes, this latest victory offered reminders that there are certain pieces of the puzzle others are surely envious of.

STARTING PITCHING: As the day go by, with one injury after another being announced, we wait for all of it to take a turn for the worse. Perhaps it starts with Chase Anderson's first start of the season, Thursday. Maybe the All-Star campaigns of Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck get derailed.

But for now, this historic run by the starters keeps on trucking.

After Cooper Criswell's five shutout innings Wednesday night, the Red Sox' starters own a combined 1.73 ERA. Through 25 games, its the lowest in he Divisional Era (dating back to 1969, beating out the 1978 Oakland A's (1.79 ERA).

Consider what life could be like. It's no coincidence that the nine teams with the worst starters' ERA are all under .500. The Red Sox have lived that life pretty much through the previous four seasons, during which time their starting pitchers have combined for a 4.63 ERA (21st in MLB).

"We’re going to pitch. We will pitch," Cora said after the latest win. So far, it's hard to argue.

THE CATCHERS: Connor Wong and Reece McGuire haven't really been part of the Red Sox' make-or-break conversation, but maybe they should be. As Wong's two-homer, four-hit night Wednesday reminded us, they have been far more make than break.

Whether it's because of the three-day, bat-swinging boot camp in Fort Myers in early November the pair attended, or the rhythm that has taken root thanks to their platoon, this catching dynamic is something many teams would die for.

The Red Sox' catchers possess the third-best batting average (.326) and OPS (.904) in all of baseball. (Conversely, the Marlins are remarkably at .065 and .202, respectively.) And defensively, their contributions to this run of good pitching shouldn't be ignored, with Wong and McGuire holding the catchers' ERA in the MLB (2.49).

"It’s huge," said Cora of the success of his catching platoon. "I have been saying all along, it’s a testament to them. They showed up early in November to Fort Myers, worked hard and then they put the work in the offseason. It’s hard now. Tomorrow, what do we do? We have to take care of Connor, but at the same time he had a great game. We’ll decide in a half-hour what we’re going to do. But understanding that Reece is going to be part of this, too. Both of them have done an amazing job with the pitching staff."

WILYER ABREU: While we can give a pat on the back to the new regime regarding the pitching turnaround, it's only fair to offer praise for previous chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom when it comes to finding a very key part of this somewhat makeshift lineup.

Thanks to the trade 2022 trade deadline deal that sent Christian Vazquez to the Astros, the Red Sox might have landed with a legitimate middle-of-the-order, above-average defensive outfielder.

And, all things considered, it's one of the most important developments this current iteration of the Red Sox could have asked for.

Following his four-hit game Wednesday night, Abreu sits as one of players in baseball with an OPS of over 1.000 when playing the outfield. In all, the 24-year-old is hitting .322 with a .954 OPS.

Right around the time Cora proclaimed that Abreu needed to play just more than a week ago, the lefty hitter has been the second-best hitter in baseball. Since April 18, he has a 1.531 OPS - second only to Philadelphia's Alec Bohm - hitting .520, in the process.

Abreu has also now driven in the go-ahead run for the Red Sox in each of their last six games, the longest such streak by a Sox player since the Expansion Era (starting in 1961).

With all this talk of top prospects and the need for big outfield bats, the Red Sox have seemingly uncovered exactly what the doctor ordered.

There is a lot to be concerned with in the long haul with this team, but the Red Sox can at least sleep easy that thanks to the likes of these starters, these catchers, and that outfielder (Abreu) jealousy is lurking.