The Boston Red Sox entered July 37-47 sitting 13 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the American League East. They were also 5.5 games back of the Seattle Mariners for the final wild card spot. The Red Sox were 17-26 at home and 20-21 on the road. They looked like they were heading for a sell-off at the trade deadline with names like Sonny Gray and Aroldis Chapman being names they’d move. The calendar then flipped to July and their whole season changed.
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The Red Sox July
The talk of the season had been wait till we go on a run. That run seemed like it was never coming until it did.
July Schedule
The Red Sox started July with a series finale loss to the Washington Nationals. What came next no one could have predicted. The Red Sox would sweep the Angels, White Sox, and Mets winning nine straight all on the road. Then came the All-Star break.
They returned from the break to face the Rays for a four-game series which included a doubleheader in their first game back. They would take all four games against the Rays. The streak is now at 13 straight. Then the Baltimore Orioles came to town for three games. They would take the first two games including a clutch Caleb Durbin home run in the eighth to break a 5-5 tie and sent Fenway into a Frenzy. The streak now at 15 games would come to an end in the nightcap of a doubleheader against the Orioles as the Red Sox suffered a 5-1 loss. That dropped them to 15-2 in July.
They next welcomed the Toronto Blue Jays for three games, during which they once again took two out of three, their sixth straight series win of the month. Then to end the month it was time to hit the road. They went to Sacramento where they won three of four games against the A’s all of which included late-game comebacks even the loss that the comeback fell short. Then the final game of the month was against the MLB-leading Dodgers and after taking a 3-0 lead the Dodgers took it back at 4-3. Once again the Red Sox had a late-game comeback scoring five runs in the seventh led by a Ceddanne Rafaela two run home run.
July Team Numbers
They ended the month of July on a three-game winning streak. They were 21-4 on the month. The Red Sox went 8-3 at home and 13-1 on the road. They averaged 5.1 runs per game while hitting .252 with a .766 OPS, and a 111 wRC+. On the pitching side, they allowed 2.9 runs per game with a 2.91 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, a 3.34 FIP, and an 8.56 K/9.
July Standouts
Hitting
Willson Contreras, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Caleb Durbin were the big standouts of the month. Contreras hit .323 with a 1.117 OPS. He had a wRC+ of 208, five home runs, 14 RBI, and 14 runs scored. Rafaela hit .303 with an .844 OPS. He had five home runs, 19 RBI, and 17 runs scored. Durbin has really turned his season around as he hit .284 with a .802 OPS in July. He had three home runs, nine RBI, and 18 runs scored. Wilyer Abreu despite hitting under .200 in July hit six home runs drove in 14 and scored 17.
Starters
Jake Bennett made five starts in July going 4-1. He had a 2.20 ERA, a 3.47 FIP, a 0.89 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts in 32.2 innings. Sonny Gray also went 4-1 in his five starts with a 3.60 ERA, a 3.76 FIP, a 1.33 WHIP, and 23 strikeouts in 30 innings. Payton Tolle had a 3.99 FIP, a 1.35 WHIP, and 34 strikeouts in 23.2 innings. He went 2-1.
Bullpen
In the bullpen, Aroldis Chapman, Garrett Whitlock, Tyron Guerrero, and Brayan Bello also shut things down. Chapman in 12 games went 2-0 with ten saves. He posted a 0.75 ERA, a 2.60 FIP, a 1.17 WHIP, and 17 strikeouts in 12 innings. Whitlock in 13 games went 2-0 with a save and eight holds, he did blow a save. He posted a 0.73 ERA, a 1.48 FIP, a 0.49 WHIP, and ten strikeouts in 12.1 innings. Guerrero in eight games went 1-0 with three holds. He has a 0.87 ERA, a 2.13 FIP, a 0.97 WHIP, and eight strikeouts in 10.1 innings. Bello in three games went 1-0 with a 0.66 ERA, a 3.03 FIP, a 0.80 WHIP, and 13 strikeouts in 13.2 innings.
Wrap Up
The Red Sox now sit at 58-51 as they enter August. They’re six games back of the Rays and currently hold the second Wild Card spot by three games and they trail the Yankees for the top Wild Card spot by 3.5 games. They’re 25-29 at home and 33-22 on the road. They have now become buyers ahead of Monday’s trade deadline and all indications are they’re looking to make a splash as they look to make it back to the postseason and make a deep run. It’s been a crazy turnaround for the Chad Tracy led Red Sox and that’s all thanks to a fantastic July, can’t wait to see what August and September bring, and hope they can hold on to the momentum they’ve currently established.
