A trade deadline plan for the Red Sox
So, why is this year going to be different than those past two seasons where you landed at the 100-game mark with an identical 53-47 record? Sunday, the Red Sox had an answer.
Garrett Crochet. Alex Bregman. A more interesting collection of arms in the bullpen. There you go.
The narrative regarding how much better it might be for Alex Cora's club did an about-face in the seventh inning of what would be the Red Sox's 6-1 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Before Wilyer Abreu's go-ahead home run (the first of his two on the day), there was a "here we go again" vibe building.
Last year, the Red Sox came out of the All-Star break losing four straight, ditching the momentum built throughout the first part of July. This time aroun,d there had been two straight losses after that pre-Break 10-game win streak. And, to make matters worse, the one total run scored in those two games brought back some really bad memories of those dark few days immediately after the Rafael Devers deal.
But then Abreu homered, bat-flipping the monkey off the collective backs of the visitors, giving the Sox a lead they would never relinquish.
Then, an inning later, it was Cora taking advantage of the option that was Bregman coming off the bench to pinch-hit for Masa Yoshida. The result of that was a game-sealing three-run home run, and another reminder about the difference-maker that the Sox had been living without for seven weeks.
Needless to say, the presence of Bregman this time around will go a long way to gather in believers. Think Kyle Schwarber, circa 2021. And, in case you forgot, the Red Sox did not have Schwarber during these last two go-rounds.
They also did not have Crochet.
There hasn't been an ace like the lefty in a Red Sox uniform for some time. A pitcher who embraces the desperation and turns it into sighs of relief. That's exactly what Crochet did once again this time around, allowing just one run over six innings.
The Red Sox have now won eight of Crochet's last nine starts, a stretch that started on June 1. That should tell you something.
Bregman perfectly encapsulated his ace's existence in this quote to reporters (including MLB.com's Ian Browne) after the win: "When you need a stopper, he's a stopper. When you need somebody to keep it going, he keeps it going. When you need someone to set the tone and be the ace of the staff, that’s what he’s done. He's delivered time and time again all year long, and we feel very confident every time he takes the hill that we have a really good chance to win."
And, finally, there was the hint that the bullpen might be able to be more part of the solution than the problem for the time being. That, of course, was not the case when the Red Sox unraveled immediately after last season's All-Star break.
Garrett Whitlock has quietly become ultra-reliable since being limited to single-inning outings. In his last seven appearances (all one inning or less), he has given up one run over 6 1/3 innings, striking out nine and not walking a batter.
Jordan Hicks came on to throw his second straight clean inning, while another new acquisition, Jorge Alcala, has sneakily become a find for the Red Sox. In his 12 1/3 innings with the Sox, the righty has allowed just one earned run, with opponents totaling just a .557 OPS.
It's not to say the Red Sox don't need trade deadline help, because they do. It is to say that Sunday's result suggested the path to get to the other side of July's final day might be a bit less bumpy than the past two seasons.
For that, they can thank those players helping put panic in the rearview mirror ... for at least one seemingly very important day.