Return of the Inevitable

 

I will give the AL East credit for having variety the last few seasons. The mid-2010s had the Blue Jays rise, then fall, and then rise again, the Orioles had some runs in the middle of the decade, the Rays have been constant competitors, but...sooner or later, all things must revert back to how they were intended to go.

And so, after a season where the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays have held 2nd place for portions of the year...now it is held by the Boston Red Sox. Putting them roughly 11 games behind the New York Yankees for the division. And though the Jays and Rays aren't completely out of it yet, it now looks like the real story of this season, as I always figured it would be, will be Yankees vs. Red Sox. Just like in 1978, and in 2003, and in 2004...and last year. 

And as the Yankees pump the brakes on their huge start and the Sox continue their dominant June...this is an outcome we seriously have to consider. What if this whole season comes down to Yanks-Sox again? What then?

The way the Sox are playing right now, it's a possibility. They've won seven straight games, inevitably dominating lower-key teams as the Yankees are stuck trying to pry games away from Houston. They also have illuminated their core, and have Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, J.D. Martinez, Trevor Story, Christian Vazquez and, yes, even Jarren Duran all hitting well. Devers is once again looking like an all-league talent, and he's hitting .330 with 17 homers, so it's just getting ridiculous at this point. Martinez I genuinely have to give credit for taking the money and settling with dignity, instead of just selling out and not doing any good. Martinez still hits 30 homers per season and proves his worth with Boston, that's a step up from how things could have been. And Bogaerts, with his contact abilities, has been the clubhouse leader I worried this team had lost when Mookie Betts left.

This team is also proving how flexible its pitching staff is. Without Sale, Eovaldi and Paxton there's still enough people like Michael Wacha, Nick Pivetta and Rich Hill that can keep offenses down amicably. You also have several people who can jump into the ninth, with both Tanner Houck and Matt Strahm having success so far, while still conserving this bullpen's energy, and allowing middle relievers like Austin Davis, John Schreiber and Jake Diekman to shine and do excellent work.

This team isn't perfect, and there's a few pieces I wish were doing better, but this month has made it clear how much of a contender the Red Sox can be, and how much more powerful they'll become once they start getting their pieces back. The Jays and Rays may still have a stake in this race, but it's clear that after the start the Yankees have had, initially at Boston's expense, the Sox want blood. We'll see if they'll get it.

Coming Tomorrow- Well I HAD a Harper custom ready but, y'know...Blake Snell's aim would rather I push it to like September. So instead, a Phillie whose best numbers typically come in June, and oh boy have they this year.