The Boston Red Sox came into the four game series against the New York Yankees just 2.5 GB of first place in the AL East. This was a crucial series for both teams; the Yankees were 0-8 against the Sox this year and desperately needed a series victory in order to gain momentum in the AL East race and to prove they could beat the Sox. The Sox, on the other hand, needed a series victory in order to cut the gap between these two teams and to end their current slide.
Boston came in hoping for the best and got the worst. Swept by the Yankees, shut out twice, and more pitching woes for the Sox.
The Yankees showed the baseball world that they are officially the favorites to win the AL East. The Red Sox, on the other hand, are struggling just to stay in the playoff race. Now 6.5 GB of the Yankees with less than two months left to play, they will most likely need to win the Wild Card in order to get into the playoffs. But that won’t come easily, either. The Sox are currently tied with the Rangers in the Wild Card race at 62-48, and the Rays have quietly remained 1.5 GB.
Boston did nothing that it needed to do during its weekend series in New York. Twice, the team failed to score a run in a game. The hitting, however, is less of a concern than the team’s pitching may be.
Now, with Wakefield and Dice-K on the DL, Buchholz struggling, and Smoltz being designated for assignment (after eight dismal starts), the Sox need some immediate pitching help. If they don’t get any, they might not even make it to the playoffs.
In other baseball news, the Washington Nationals have been on fire lately! And yes, that means more than two wins in a row. In fact, the Nationals have won eight straight games! They’ve also gone 12-4 since July 25, the best record out of all MLB teams in that span. Too bad they still sport the worst record in the majors, but at 40-72, they are improving, at least. They’ve gotten excellent hitting out of their lineup, especially from Adam Dunn and Ryan Zimmerman, and they’ve averaged 7.06 runs per game since July 25, also the most in the majors.
Much of their success should be credited to their bullpen. More specifically, Mike MacDougal has stepped up as a reliable closer in a role that no Washington pitcher seemed to take well to before this. His presence in the bullpen has been key in winning the team games.
My final MLB news of the day is centered around Arizona Diamondbacks’ Mark Reynolds. Reynolds has been the hottest player in baseball lately. In the past ten days, he’s raised his BA from .275 to .290, and he has 8 HR’s, 12 RBI’s, and 2 SB’s. This kind of stat line is exceptional. Of course, he did singlehandedly beat me in fantasy baseball this week, which somewhat dampens his performance in my eyes.
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