Sox Talk with Will Middlebrooks is a recurring content series on NESN.com. Middlebrooks, a former Red Sox player and current NESN analyst, gives his insight and opinion on pertinent Red Sox storylines throughout the season. You can read the latest stories from the series here.
The outlook did not look good for the Boston Red Sox a month into the regular season.
The Red Sox lost their biggest offseason addition in Lucas Giolito to Tommy John surgery before the veteran right-hander even threw a meaningful pitch. Trevor Story went down with a season-ending shoulder injury just eight games into the season. And then Triston Casas, who many thought would jump into the All-Star conversation after a strong rookie campaign, was sidelined in April after he fractured a rib.
To former Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks, it was looking as if the “wheels have fallen off.”
But the Red Sox didn’t cave when faced with adversity early in the season. They emerged from May with a .500 record but took off from there led by a young core and their three All-Stars in Rafael Devers, Tanner Houck and Jarren Duran.
The Red Sox have the fourth-best record in MLB over the last month with a 19-11 mark and even are in a playoff spot. They are gaining momentum, too, as Middlebrooks saw when he was around the team calling games for NESN for their latest road trip, in which Boston won five of six contests, including taking two from the rival New York Yankees in the Bronx.
“They believe,” Middlebrooks told NESN.com. “Not that it took to this point for this team to believe. I think they have for a long time. But it’s taken this stretch they’ve been on the last month or so for everyone else in the city, in the area, in New England, around the country to really get their attention. (Get) people to say, ‘Oh, maybe this team is for real.'”
The Red Sox haven’t played impactful games in the standings in August and September the last two seasons.
That should change this season with the Red Sox entering Tuesday 1 1/2 games up on the Kansas City Royals for the third and final American League wild-card spot and only 4 1/2 games behind the Yankees for second place in the division.
“The meaningful games started already … and they’re aware of that in the clubhouse,” Middlebrooks said. “They might tell you we’re not worried about the standings, we’re not watching it. Alex Cora is very transparent with that stuff and says, ‘Yeah, we watch it and we want to get greedy. We want to try to get past the Yankees in the division,’ which is a very doable thing right now.”
The Red Sox certainly changed their trajectory and expectations of their season with their recent play. Getting daily contributions from youngsters like Ceddanne Rafaela have helped turn them into an entertaining bunch. But they are more than just that.
“We talk about them being fun. It’s past them being fun at this point. Yeah, they are fun, but they’re also a good baseball team,” Middlebrooks said. “They’re well-coached, they’re disciplined, which is rare for a young core group like this.”
