The National League Central is the Red Sox’s inexplicable kryptonite this season.
Entering Thursday night’s series finale against the Cincinnati Reds, Boston is, somewhat randomly, 0-8 against that division.
In their second series of the season, they allowed the Pittsburgh Pirates to sweep them at Fenway Park for the first time in franchise history.
But in Boston’s defense, their May series against the St. Louis Cardinals could’ve easily gone very differently. They carried a lead into the 9th inning in the series opener, only to have Kenley Jansen blow the save and complete a loss. Likewise in the second game, when Chris Sale’s 8-inning, 1-run gem fell apart when Jansen again struggled.
The Cards came to town 13-25, and left with a new lease on life; the Red Sox haven’t exactly been the same since. Now, they’re two games in the hole against the Reds, who entered this series 24-29.
Why can’t the Red Sox, who’ve been a winning team for most of the season, figure out the NL Central?
Jorge Alfaro exercised his opt-out on Thursday, putting the Red Sox on the clock.
The club has 48 hours to add the 30-year-old catcher to the roster, or they must grant him his release.
Alfaro is hitting .320/.366/.520 with two triples, six home runs, 13 doubles in Triple-A Worcester this season, but although Alex Cora praised his performance, he reiterated his confidence in the big-league club’s current catching tandem, Connor Wong and Reese McGuire.
“Right now, we’re very comfortable with Reese and Wong,” the manager said on Wednesday. “There’s 29 other teams out there, they might have a chance.”
“In a selfish way, hopefully nobody wants him. As a person and as a player, I would love him to be in the big leagues, either with us or somebody else, but this is where we’re at right now. We’re very comfortable with these two guys.”
Yu Chang is improving after pressing pause on his hitting program, and will attempt to resume hitting on Friday.
Christian Arroyo’s rehab stint with Triple-A Worcester continues on Thursday night, and he could be activated before next week. Adam Duvall has the night off after back-to-back rehab games, also with the WooSox. The earliest he can be activated is June 9.
The Red Sox are preparing to host the most formidable team in the American League, though how does one really prepare to face the only team with 40 wins?
Atop the East, the Tampa Bay Rays are 40-18, an eye-popping .690 win percentage, including 26-6 at Tropicana Field, and down at the bottom, the 28-27 Red Sox cling to a winning record. Their only hope is that their propensity for winning at home (15-13) will coalesce with the Rays’ 14-12 road record.
The four-game set includes a Saturday doubleheader. Though doubleheaders aren’t uncommon, the upcoming pair is unique, even if it won’t feel different. This twofer is Boston’s first scheduled doubleheader since 1978.
Tanner Houck will start one of the doubleheader games, and Alex Cora says it’s possible Corey Kluber will be pulled from the bullpen to take the other; he’s currently on the Paternity List after he and his wife welcomed a new baby.