Boston Turns Its Lonely Eyes To The Red Sox

When the NHL and NBA playoffs began nearly two months ago, it seemed like a given that one of the Boston Bruins or Boston Celtics would be playing into June. Well, things don’t always go as planned. As we arrive here on June 1st, both teams are sitting on their couches after suffering heartbreak at the hands of south Florida. That leaves just one team left standing in Boston for the next few months: our Red Sox.

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So far, the 2023 season has been a mixed bag, to say the least. The offense was good, then it was bad. The starting pitching was bad, then it was good. Adam Duvall turned into Barry Bonds for a week before breaking his wrist. Chris Sale might actually be back. Ryan Brasier got DFA’d. All of this comes out to a 28-27 record, good for last in the AL East (or second in the AL Central).

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Even more than 50 games in, it’s difficult to form any real opinion on this year’s Red Sox. They’ve dealt with a plethora of injuries, a gauntlet of a division, and several free agents and rookies adjusting to their new team. And here we sit only four games out of a playoff spot.

The Red Sox are about to go under a magnifying glass. Up until now, many fans were distracted by the Bruins or Celtics, but no longer. Masataka Yoshida goes 0 for 5? He’s a failure. Brayan Bello gives up 4 runs in an outing? Bust. Talk radio will focus on nothing but the Sox for the next couple of months. The Red Sox may have been able to hide behind playoff runs for the last sixty days, but no longer.

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And ya know what? I’m hopeful. Things are looking up! Adam Duvall and Trevor Story are on the mend. Brayan Bello and Triston Casas seem to coming into their own. Are the 2023 Red Sox world beaters? No, definitely not. But they could absolutely push for a Wild Card spot. The next few months could go a lot of different ways. Maybe, just maybe, the dog days of summer won’t be so bad after all.