Nobody in baseball should want to play the Boston Red Sox right now.
Boston has gone from sitting 14 games under .500 at 32-46 on June 25 to 63-51 entering Friday. That’s a ridiculous 31-5 stretch that has completely transformed its season.
And lately, they’ve been nearly impossible to beat.
The Red Sox have won nine straight games, including a sweep of the Dodgers in Los Angeles and three consecutive wins over the White Sox. During the streak, Boston has scored 66 runs, including a 14-2 blowout and a wild 12-11 victory in 13 innings.
This isn’t just a lucky hot streak, either.
Willson Contreras has provided some serious power with 23 home runs, 70 RBIs and a .936 OPS, while Ceddanne Rafaela is batting .287 with 15 homers, 16 stolen bases and a team-leading 123 hits. Wilyer Abreu has also added 20 home runs.
The pitching staff has done its part, too. Sonny Gray is 14-2 with a 2.78 ERA, while Aroldis Chapman has been dominant at the back end with 27 saves and a 1.86 ERA.
Boston still has work to do after digging such a massive hole early in the season. But that’s what makes this run even more impressive.
The Red Sox looked dead at 32-46.
Now they’re 63-51, riding nine straight wins and looking like a completely different baseball team.
Forget simply making the postseason.
If Boston keeps playing anything close to this, the Red Sox could become a serious problem for everyone in October.
