162 in Review

Boston is heading to the Bronx in the hopes of taking over the #1 Wild Card playoff spot in the American League.
With the Cleveland Guardians on both of their heels, no one can take their foot off the gas in the final month of the regular MLB season.
The Red Sox swept the Arizona Diamondbacks and won the following series against the San Francisco Giants and Miami Marlins.
Willson Contreras has reached a new career milestone with 26 home runs and Sonny Gray has a chance for 20 wins at age 36 as a Cy Young contender.
It’s all on the line and 162 in Review is here with the details!

The Red Sox completely turned their season around as the bats of Caleb Durbin, Willson Contreras, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu heat up.  This is in conjunction with the Gold Glove level defense in the field and the call ups of Anthony Seigler and Nick Sogard from AAA Worcester.
Boston overtook the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Tampa Bay Rays who are no slouches in their own right to show that they truly have what it takes to be playoff contenders in the American League postseason.
With the trade for Adley Rutschman from the Baltimore Orioles and the top notch outings from Sonny Gray and Payton Tolle in the pitching department, the Red Sox have what it takes to fend off the Cleveland Guardians and the Texas Rangers in the Wild Card standings.
How did this team pull off such an epic turnaround?  Let’s review the month of July together and how much we wish it didn’t have to end on 162 in Review!

The Red Sox have somehow struck gold with their offense finally syncing up with the pitching and defense to string together 7 wins in a row against the Los Angeles Angels, the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets, even after being dealt a hard blow with the suspension of their first baseman.
Willson Contreras, Ceddanne Rafaela, Ranger Suarez and Aroldis Chapman have been selected for the MLB All Star Team but where is the acclaim for Sonny Gray!  
The Red Sox are now in third place in the AL East.  Can they continue their rise? 

Over this past weekend, the Boston Red Sox did the unthinkable and swept the New York Yankees at Fenway Park in an epic 4 game series for the first time since 2018!  Wally was out with the broom and we couldn’t believe our eyes.  The pitching of Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, Jake Bennett and Sonny Gray was superb.  
The promotion of Anthony Seigler, received in the offseason Milwaukee Brewers trade, and the passion of Willson Contreras, following the devastating Venezuelan earthquakes, help propel the Boston offense to success.
The roll continued in game 1 against the Washington Nationals with another win, making it a season-high streak of 5 consecutive wins!
In AAA Worcester, Brayan Bello had a quality outing giving up just 1 run at Polar Park on Thursday, June 25.

With a record of 28 - 39 up to this point, hope is fleeting and a .500 record is so far off in the distance that the Artemis II crew would have had a better chance of locating this pie in the sky, than the 2026 Boston Red Sox.
While there have been some bright spots in Willson Contreras (could pitchers stop hitting him, though?), Sonny Gray and Connelly Early, the bats are completely MIA.
Garrett Crochet’s injury has been far more pronounced than originally publicized and he will not be able to save the team from themselves this year.
Will ownership make a major move at the trade deadline as any kind of reprieve for this abysmal offensive production?  (Probably not, but let’s commiserate together!)

After a disasterous series against the Minnesota Twins and then a stunning sweep against the Kansas City Royals, the Boston Red Sox are giving us whiplash as we struggle to define the team’s identity after 1/3 of the season is over!
Sonny Gray and Connolly Early continue to be starting Aces.
The bats of Caleb Durbin, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Jarren Duran have heated up.
Willson Contreras is honored as the American League player of the week.
Should the Red Sox be willing to part with Aroldis Chapman or Garrett Whitlock at the trade deadline?

The Tampa Bay Rays came to town with Junior Caminero, Yandy Diaz and Chandler Simpson hitting all over Fenway Park.
How can the Red Sox overcome their challenges and is Willson Contreras returning anytime soon after being hit by a pitch? Also, why are we pinch hitting for Masataka Yoshida but not Caleb Durbin?
Mickey Gaspar returns to the majors and makes us wonder why he ever left!
 
**correction - the Red Sox will play Philadelphia at home, not away

Hurray for another Friday win in the Fenway Greens!
The move to Chad Tracy seems to reset the tone with the team.
But does someone have a Voodoo Doll of Red Sox pitchers?
Pitching IL Woes
Garrett Crochet
Johan Oviedo
Sonny Gray
Tyler Uberstine
Tyler Samaniego
Justin Slaten
And how do we solve the Brayan Bello question?
Happy Birthday to Wally, on May 3!

Red Sox managerial staff is gutted.  Alex Cora gone, Pete Fatse gone, Ramon Vazquez fired, and more.
How do the Red Sox recover and move in a different direction?
Major Congratulations to Chad Tracy as he assumes the role as Interim Manager.
Red Sox will finish up against the Baltimore Orioles and move on to the Toronto Blue Jays and the Houston Astros.
 
**Correction - 04/26/2026 was Sunday, not Saturday.

Recapping the Red Sox/St. Louis series and opener in Minnesota.
Against the Cardinals, there were encouraging signs of life with the bats as the Sox took their second series in a row.
Willson Contreras seems unstoppable, Trevor Story starts a 9th inning run that leads to the Sox batting around. Jarren Duran has his first home run of the season.
But against the Twins, Garrett Crochet missteps in his appearance at Target Field, giving up 11 runs including a grand slam.
How do we get on a steady track to stop this madness?
Well, at least the Blue Jays and Yankees are struggling too?  =\