The Red Sox are still in this thing.
This isn't a reactionary proclamation after the club's three-game sweep of the Tigers, which was punctuated with a 4-0 win in Detroit. Sure, it feels a bit different to carry this sort of optimism out of a series, but plenty of times, that's nothing more than a fan base's sugar rush.
No, the reason the Red Sox can be considered a playoff-caliber team is that, other than the Yankees and Rays, every single team in the American League is living this uncertain lifestyle Chad Tracy's team has continued to find itself in.
Through all the chaos, coaching staff turnover and underperformance, the Red Sox are 1 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot, sitting at 16-21 (same as the Blue Jays, and one in back of the Orioles).
Of the teams not in the top spot in their respective divisions, only the Rays have a winning record, leaving all but two teams within 1 1/2 games out of a playoff position. And even that pair of clubs - the Astros and Angels - sit just three back.
Kind of crazy.
But now that the Red Sox have landed in this spot, getting a reprieve thanks to the aforementioned mediocrity, there have been signs they might be able to emerge as one of the few and the proud who don't just lean on others' misfortune. That was brought to light during these last three games at Comerica Park.
This would seem like an implausible notion even two days ago, when some of the perceived most important pieces of the puzzle, Garrett Crochet (shoulder), Ranger Suarez (hamstring), and Roman Anthony (wrist), weren't going to be part of the immediate quest to turn things around. But here they are.
For starters, there were the starters. Payton Tolle, Brayan Bello and Sonny Gray combined to throw 19 innings in which they surrendered a combined one earned run.
There was the emergence of the unknown, with lefty reliever Tyler Samaniego, a pitcher the Red Sox got in the Johan Oviedo deal, becoming a very real thing. Since being called up, the southpaw hasn't surrendered a single run in his 13 innings of work, not allowing either of his inherited runners to score.
The run-prevention mantra also took root thanks to next-level defense, with Wilyer Abreu's sliding catch with the bases loaded in the second inning (which had a 35 percent catch probability) changing the outlook for Wednesday night's game. Based on the relevant analytics, the Red Sox have emerged as the best defensive team in the majors, leading all teams in "Fielding Run Value" and trailing only the Cubs in "Outs Above Average."
Willson Contreras is tops among all first basemen in OAA, with Caleb Durbin managing the second-most among third basemen.
Most importantly, however, is the Red Sox's sudden ability to actually score runs.
After an unbelievably horrific series against the Astros, when it came to getting hits with runners in scoring position (3-for-28), they went a much more respectable 9-for-29 in such situations, actually hitting a pair of home runs. Not only did the Red Sox manage their first series sweep of the season, but also in those three games, they scored the third-most runs of any team in Major League Baseball.
Since the beginning of May, the Sox have five hitters with an OPS of actually over .800 (Masa Yoshida, Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Willson Contreras and Ceddanne Rafaela). After the season's first month, they had one (Contreras).
It remains to be seen if this run will represent the kind of heaters currently experienced by teams like the Cubs, Rays, Yankees and Phillies. But it's a glimmer of hope, which is something the Red Sox would certainly have signed up for a week ago.
