Sox go into final off-day ready for six-game sprint to the postseason

TAMPA -- Six games left. Everything to play for.

Anticipation is mounting for the Red Sox, who are participating in their first true pennant race since 2021.

Though a weekend sweep at George M. Steinbrenner Field would have been nice, the visitors seemed to have zero interest in rehashing Sunday’s 7-3 loss to the Rays that prevented them from breaking out those proverbial brooms.

After consecutive series losses to the Yankees and Athletics at Fenway, though, winning a series was a step forward.

“You can’t sit and dwell on this game, it’s way too late in the year,” said Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman. "Got to keep going. Got to keep pushing forward and get a good off-day [on Monday] and get ready to go to Toronto. That's it. Plain and simple.”

Bregman’s reasoned approach will help a young team have the right mindset for the final week of the regular season.

As for the standings update, here’s what it looks like:

The Sox are in possession of the second American League Wild Card spot, holding a one-game lead over both the Guardians and Astros. However, it essentially amounts to a two-game lead over those clubs because Boston won the season series against both.

While catching the Yankees for the top Wild Card spot – which would mean hosting a best-of-three series – doesn’t seem all that feasible with a three-game deficit to their rivals, the possibility hasn’t been eliminated. The Sox also won their season series against the Yankees, which gives them the tiebreaker.

Manager Alex Cora and his club will keep the focus on baseball instead of math.

“Every game counts. We're in a good position,” said Cora. “That was a good series by the boys. They battled. They did an amazing job, and we’ve just got to be ready for Tuesday.”

While Cora’s team is 7-9 since losing star rookie Roman Anthony to a left oblique strain that will keep the outfielder from playing until at least the postseason, here are some developments that have the Red Sox thinking positive heading into their final two series (at Toronto, home versus Detroit).

The offense looks better
While a Sunday night of squanders prevented the Sox from scoring six runs or more for the third time in the series, the hits are starting to fall for a lineup that had been slumping collectively.

Bregman went 5-for-11 with a homer in Tampa after a prolonged slump had left him with an OPS of .452 in the 22 games that preceded this weekend.

Dazzling center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela had been slumping more than Bregman, slashing .158/.220/.245 over a 39-game stretch from Aug. 4-Sept. 18. In Tampa, Rafaela went 6-for-12 with a pair of doubles.

Jarren Duran, who has moved back to the leadoff spot during Anthony’s absence, also showed signs of getting hot in Tampa, hitting a towering, go-ahead, two-run homer on Friday and making solid contact throughout the weekend.

Masataka Yoshida, who has struggled mightily in his return from right labrum surgery, hit the ball hard against the Rays, going 5-for-14.

“I thought the biggest thing, my takeaway from this series is, offensively, we're in a good spot,” said Bregman. “We're in a lot better spot than we were. We're putting pressure on the defense. We're running the bases. We're on base pretty much every inning.”

Abreu is back
Though right fielder Wilyer Abreu's timing was clearly off (four strikeouts) in his return to action on Sunday after missing nearly five weeks with a right calf strain, his presence should be vital for the Sox as they finish the regular season.

Even with the time he missed, Abreu is second on the team in homers (22) to Trevor Story. He is also an elite defender and could make his return to right field after serving as the designated hitter on Sunday.

Pitching is lined up
With the off-day on Monday, Cora was able to line up the rotation the way he wanted for the upcoming series in Toronto, where the Jays will certainly be engaged as they try to nail down the AL East title.

Lucas Giolito will start Tuesday on five days of rest. The extra rest figures to be key for the righty, who missed all of last season following an internal bracing procedure on his right ulnar collateral ligament. Ace Garrett Crochet takes the ball on Wednesday in what should be his final start of the regular season. If the Sox can lock down a postseason berth, Giolito would be in line to open the Wild Card series with five days of rest.

And Brayan Bello, Mr. Consistency for most of the season before slipping in his last two starts, will close the series in Toronto on six days of rest.