After a disappointing road trip where the Red Sox lost back-to-back series, they responded in a big way winning both series at Fenway Park. A 5-1 week is a huge result for a team that still has its sights on the top Wild Card spot.
A resilient Group
Just two months ago, nobody in the right mind would have called the 2026 Boston Red Sox resilient. Two months ago Boston lost a 3-game series to the Colorado Rockies as they blew two games late. This was the low point in the season.
Fast forward and this Red Sox group completed their 31st come from behind victory Saturday night in their fourth walk-off of the season. Sunday they completed their 32nd come-from-behind victory. In the win Saturday night, the Red Sox had a major missed opportunity that felt like they could not come back from. The Red Sox had the bases loaded with nobody out trailing by 2 in the bottom of the 8th inning with the heart of the order up. Boston failed to score, however that did not stop this resilient group. They fought back in the bottom of the 9th and eventually did just enough to walk-off the Giants.
Tyler Milliken of Section 10 was spot on with this tweet following Saturday night’s win.
Earlier in the season, the Red Sox would have quit after that failed opportunity in the bottom of the eighth. But this team now has figured out what it takes to win these types of games. It’s a group that plays to the final out every game.
The Lineup Needs Nick Sogard
A lot can happen in baseball in a short period of time. We know that Trevor Story is close to returning from the IL. Manager Chad Tracy will have some difficult decisions to make between playing two of Andruw Monasterio, Nick Sogard, and Trevor Story. All I know is as of today, August 23rd, Nick Sogard belongs in the Red Sox lineup.
On the season, Sogard is slashing .287 | .401 | .426 with a 135 wRC+. Sogard always gives a competitive AB whether he is leading off or hitting ninth. Of players with at least 140 plate appearances in baseball, Nick Sogard ranks 4th with a .401 OBP. Only four hitters have an OBP over .400.
While I don’t expect Sogard to have a near .400 OBP for the remaining five weeks, I do think he can maintain a .350+ OBP. That is extremely valuable for this offense, an offense that ranks first in runs scored and wRC+ in the month of August. While Trevor Story brings a different skill set to the table, he doesn’t bring elite on-base skills. Until Sogard slows down, he deserves to be in the lineup.
Thriving at Fenway
After play on June 18th, the Red Sox were 12-25 at Fenway Park. It felt like there was no magic in the air as the team couldn’t find ways to energize the crowd. The Yankees series where the Red Sox swept them in a 4-game series changed everything. The Red Sox now have a winning record at home (34-32) after winning 22 of their last 29 at home. The bats have come alive, which has energized the Fenway Faithful. Fenway Park has the ability to create chaos when the team is good. The 2026 Sox have finally tapped into that potential.
The Boston Bats
No team was worse at scoring runs and doing damage in the first three months of the season than the Red Sox. But it’s amazing how quickly things can change. The next sentence that I am about to write is something that no Red Sox fan would have thought was possible. The Red Sox have the best scoring offense in the month of August. In fact, they lead or are at the top of many offensive categories.
It’s quite a drastic shift from what we saw from this group early in the season. Not only are the results great but the process stats are backing up the production in the batter’s box. It’s exciting to think about Roman Anthony joining this group in the coming days.
Garrett Crochet Extended…Kinda
Sunday marked 120 consecutive days that Garrett Crochet has spent on the IL with an arm injury. Per his contract, his 2030 opt-out is now voided. The Red Sox now have a 2032 club option added to the back of his deal. Here is how the rest of the contract will play out.
If you would have told Red Sox fans that this was happening without any other context prior to the start of the season, fans would have been throwing a party. Add in the fact that Crochet missed almost the entire season with an arm injury and you start to have doubts. With big pitching contracts, you almost have to assume that one of the seasons will be a lost year due to some kind of injury. With Crochet, you hate to see him lose almost an entire season so early into his extension. Now, he has five more guaranteed years at big money. The Red Sox will need Crochet to work on his body in the off-season to hopefully prevent another major injury from occurring.
Up Next
The Red Sox leave Boston and head to Miami and New York for a seven game road trip in seven days including a doubleheader in New York. The Marlins are an extremely streaky team but have won four of their last five series. However, context is necessary. Those four series wins came against the Angels, Reds, Pirates, and Nationals. In the month of August, the Marlins have played like the Marlins from the past decade. Their offense has struggled to score (20th in runs scored) but their pitching has been excellent (5th in team ERA (3.13).
The weekend series will be the final time the Red Sox and Yankees will meet in the regular season. This 4-game series is a crucial series as only three games separate the Red Sox from the Yankees. The Red Sox currently lead the season series 5-4, however the Yankees are 4-1 in Yankee Stadium against Boston this season.
What I am curious to see is if Boston can keep their focus on the Marlins and take care of business in Miami before taking on the Yankees. Can the Red Sox build off of their strong 5-1 homestand?