Manager Alex Cora has been basking in what has been the Red Sox’s best second half in recent years, the first time the Red Sox have put on a credible surge after a good first half. The Red Sox are 28-22 now since the All-Star break.
Consider recent second-half history. Boston was 28-38 in the second half of 2024, a .424 winning mark. The Red Sox were 30-41 (.423) the year before that and 30-39 (.435) in 2022. To be sitting with a .560 winning percentage in the second half this season is a feather in Cora’s cap.
Except that momentum, which was behind the Red Sox as September opened, seems to have slipped. The injury to outfielder Roman Anthony has been part of that, no doubt, as has the lingering injury to outfielder Wilyer Abreu. The pitching, too, has not been as sharp and the injury to Dustin May forced Boston to play the stretch run with two guys–Connelly Early and Payton Tolle–in the rotation.
Going back to Anthony being put on the injured list on September 3, the Red Sox have lost five of their last eight games.
Red Sox ‘Should Stop Talking October’
The Red Sox are still in position to earn a playoff spot, but hopes of winning the AL East are fading, as Boston is now 4.5 games behind the Blue Jays and 1.5 games behind the Yankees for the top wild-card position.
The team of concern is the Rangers, who won five straight and are now just 2.0 games out of the playoff picture and 3.0 games from knocking the Red Sox out of the postseason picture.
On Saturday, Cora spoke like a guy who is suddenly feeling the heat.
“I think we should stop talking October, to be honest with you,” Cora told reporters befoere Saturday’s game against the Yankees. “There’s a lot of stuff going on, and we have to play better. I’m not saying we’re in a bad spot, but I think we have to wait, you know, to see if October is part of this.”
MLB Playoff Odds Still Favorable
It is a stark, if harsh, reminder of where the Red Sox stand. Boston has gotten great pitching throughout the season, and ranks sixth in baseball with a 3.73 ERA, but comes in at just a 4.43 ERA in September. That’s 20th.
The offense is an issue, too. The team is sixth in runs scored, with 727, but in September, the Red Sox are 15th, with 49 runs.
According to FanGraphs, the Red Sox still have a 90.4% shot at making the playoffs and project to win 88 games this year.
Red Sox’s Alex Cora Issues Warning on MLB Playoffs