The impact of the Vlad Guerrero signing
The Red Sox were reminded about the power of feeling good about yourselves. It was, after all, just a few days ago they were living that life.
Remember the vibes pouring on to the field after it was announced Garrett Crochet had signed his six-year, $160 million contract extension? Five straight wins helped for a big, bright flashing neon sign that the Red Sox had bottled the kind of confidence a legitimate postseason contender is fueled by.
Monday and Tuesday nights, it was the team sitting in the opposite dugout at Fenway Park that got a chance to experience the chest-out existence. The previously uneasy and uncertain Blue Jays were suddenly that club, one which suddenly felt like a factor.
One could point to Tuesday night's 6-1 Red Sox loss to the Jays and chalk it up to an aberration considering the elements. (At 35 degrees Fahrenheit, this was the 3rd coldest 1st pitch temperature recorded at a game at Fenway Park.)
That would be a mistake.
The Blue Jays beat the Red Sox fair and square, getting the best of Boston's best pitcher - Garrett Crochet - while taking advantage of the same sort of defensive miscues that left the Sox outside of postseason consideration a season ago.
When it comes to the American League, it feels like a race to simply find the team that carries the most confidence while fending off the fewest flaws. As we were reminded on this frigid night at Fenway, that could very well be the American League East team we thought were going to be weighed down by dysfunction - the Blue Jays.
For now, the Red Sox are simply trying to make sure their expected foundation pieces - such as Crochet, Rafael Devers, and Alex Bregman - live up to expectations. The Jays, however, offered the reminder that sometimes the biggest difference-maker in the sort of A.L. East race that seems to be shaping up are those who come out of nowhere.
This time around, the reality check came in the form of a guy named Easton Lucas.
A 14th-round pick by the Marlins in 2019, Easton was designated for assignment by both the Tigers and A's last season before being picked up by the Blue Jays in August. His first major league start came on April 2 out of necessity due to an injury to one of those Jays Toronto had been banking on, Max Scherzer. In that outing, Lucas pitched five scoreless innings. This time around, he didn't give up a run in 5 1/3 frames.
Meanwhile, those who the Blue Jays are built on, did offer their team some second-week optimism. Bo Bichette had three hits to boost his batting average to .314. And George Springer hit his second homer of the season to boost his average to an American League-best .459, with the outfielder's OPS creeping up to a gaudy 1.254.
The Blue Jays doing exactly what the Red Sox were a few days before, murmuring, "This might work, after all." It's a refrain being uttered by the Yankees, Orioles and Rays at one of time or another throughout these first few weeks.
With the exception of perhaps the White Sox, the entirety of the American League is still making a case for their respective teams. It's just that in the last couple of days - thanks in part to the Vlad-induced spring in their steps - the Blue Jays' case got a bit more believable.