While everyone was distracted by the Red Sox's record and inability to actually score runs, they have quietly been the envy of teams up and down Major League Baseball.
It turns out this team possesses the kind of late-inning existence that can - and has been - a difference-maker. Justin Slaten. Garrett Whitlock. Aroldis Chapman. Good luck getting the better of them.
For the 16th time this season, the Red Sox won when taking a lead into the seventh inning, ultimately beating the Royals, 7-1, in Kansas City. Just once have they not come away with a win in such situations. And when it comes to carrying an advantage after seven frames, the Sox are now 19-for-19 in securing a victory.
Slaten in the seventh.
Whitlock in the eighth.
Chapman to finish things off in the ninth.
The dynamic worked on Opening Day, took a bit of a turn with Slaten's stint on the injured list, and now is back in full force. And while the six games-under-.500 record and usually underwhelming offense is pausing some from daring to conjure postseason dreams, such a late-inning existence - along with being just two games out of a Wild Card spot - should allow for slightly better vibes.
How good has the one-two-three punch been? Even with Slaten's hiatus, the Red Sox own the majors' best ERA (2.57), batting average against (.196), and OPS against (.583) from Innings 7 and on.
Slaten hasn't given up an earned run in any of his nine appearances.
Whitlock possesses a 2.79 ERA, .197 batting average against, and .584 OPS against, having allowed just one hit with no walks and seven strikeouts in his last five games.
And the 38-year-old closer - who wasn't needed Tuesday night because of the Red Sox's four-run ninth inning - has now gone 11-for-11 in save opportunities, giving up just one run in his 17 outings.
To these pitchers' credit, this dominance hasn't been without some evolution. For instance, Slaten is now throwing his cutter 56 percent of the time, up from 34 percent a year ago. And for the first time in his career, Chapman is using his sinker more than his four-seamer.
Whatever it takes. It's working.
Knowing this sort of dominance is waiting each and every game doesn't come without its frustrations. While the Red Sox have been perfect when leading after seven innings, they are perfectly imperfect when trailing after seven, having won none of those 21 scenarios.
The Sox's relievers, in total, have the fifth-lowest run support in the majors, which is a major reason why this team is just 4-20 with the other team scoring first.
In other words, getting to the good stuff can be a challenge.
But maybe, just maybe, an opportunity to start highlighting this late-inning advantage will start cropping up a bit more. Tuesday night, the Sox actually performed decently with runners in scoring position (6-for-14), with each of the first four hitters in the lineup coming away with a pair of hits.
The late-inning relievers have been a nice feather in the Red Sox's cap. Now it's up to them for people to start noticing the accouterment.
"Offensively, we should not be still in the Wild Card, as bad as we've been hitting,” Red Sox infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa told reporters Tuesday night. “But it feels like everything's starting to turn a little bit, and our pitching is doing a great job of keeping us in it. We need to do a better job offensively, and we're starting to show life. If we can just keep that up, watch out. But we need to keep going. It’s just one series, so we gotta keep going."
