Schedule Sox for playoffs
Cream puff slate down stretch nothing to complain about
Back in July, when the Red Sox had to return from the All-Star break one day early to play a prime-time game against the Yankees on ESPN, Kiké Hernandez was angry.
Hernandez, who signed a two-year, $14 million contract with Boston in the offseason, said the Red Sox needed that fourth day off, the travel back and forth to Denver was too intense and it wasn’t fair to the five All-Stars on the team.
“But hey, MLB likes money and Red Sox-Yankees makes money,” he added. “Let there be money.”
The Yankees didn’t complain. And nobody is complaining now that the Red Sox have the easiest schedule in recent memory to close out the season.
They took care of business over the weekend with a three-game sweep of the Orioles, who should end up with one of the 50-worst winning percentages in baseball history. Then they were off again on Monday after being off last Thursday.
They’ll play two games against the Mets, who have fallen so far out of playoff contention they have nothing to play for, then guess what the Red Sox are doing this Thursday? Another off day, of course. Then three games against the Yankees and low and behold, there’s another off day on the schedule next Monday.
All together, the Red Sox have four off days in 12 days. They finish the season with just 14 games in 18 days.
At the most important time of the season, when rest is at a premium as teams try to set up their postseason rotation and have their relievers as healthy as possible, the Sox are being handed 96 hours of free time by Major League Baseball.
Hernandez acknowledged the importance of getting hot in the final two weeks after the Sox’ win on Sunday.
“Not every year the best team in baseball wins,” he said. “I’m a huge believer in getting hot at the right time. We are getting hot. If we keep winning games and keep rolling, I think it’ll be key for us heading into October. Just getting hot at the right time, that’s what matters.”
Hey, the Red Sox don’t make the schedule. It just so happens that MLB set it up perfectly for them.
The reeling Yankees haven’t had a day off since Sept. 2. They’re 6-11 in that span. They’ll finish the season with 29 games in 31 days. Their final nine games are against the Red Sox, Blue Jays and Rays.
The Blue Jays will play 16 games in 17 days to close it out.
There’s no excuses for the Red Sox if they don’t make the playoffs. There’s no reason they shouldn’t be able to sail into the Wild Card Game with their starting rotation lined up perfectly and their best relievers fully rested.
And if the Yankees or Blue Jays wanted to complain now, who could blame them?
COVID disconnect
When it comes to Chris Sale’s bout with COVID-19, his second time testing positive in the last seven months, there have been some mixed messages.
Over the weekend, Sale said he was not vaccinated but assumed he was prepared for COVID because he eats healthy and takes vitamins. He said he hasn’t had symptoms either time he tested positive.
Except that back in February, Sale admitted he did have symptoms.
“I lost my taste and smell for about a week,” he said then. “I had a runny nose for a couple days. I don’t know if my fever got above 99. I had a real mild case.”
Just last week, one of Sale’s teammates, Adam Ottavino, expressed discontent for his teammates who were not vaccinated, thus making them statistically more likely to carry COVID19 and transfer it to others, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We had a player that was taken out of our team and he didn’t have COVID; it was just because he was deemed a close contact and unvaccinated,” Ottavino told the Globe. “I got pretty annoyed with that fact — not necessarily individually to the point of having a problem with anybody. I love all my teammates. But I just felt like that’s a certain part of the protocol that, like, maybe guys didn’t take seriously enough in their decision-making process.”
Wild Card decision
The decision to start Sale or Nathan Eovaldi in the Wild Card Game, assuming the Red Sox have a comfortable lead and can set up their rotation, will likely come down to the wire.
Sale’s velocity was down on Friday, when he averaged 92 mph on his fastball and maxed out at 95 mph.
He only struck out one batter in five innings as he looked like the pitcher who started the 2019 season exhausted after the long postseason push a year before.
Asked about his velocity, Sale said it’s a day-to-day thing depending how his body is feeling.
He’s been effective either way, but if his arm isn’t at full strength on Oct. 5, he might be a better option for a short stint out of the bullpen with Eovaldi starting the game.
“As my arm strength keeps building up and the progression keeps going, I think that’ll pick up as well,” Sale said.