August 2025 made you are feeling…
Fairly good! A profitable document in a month is all the time a plus. We had win streaks going. We took three of 4 from the Yankees and 4 of 4 from the Orioles in their very own homes. Roman Anthony actually began to dominate. Payton Tolle debuted. I can’t actually complain. It appeared like each loss this month was further annoying, although.
— Juliet Hurwitz
As somebody who’s making an attempt to be a extra optimistic particular person general, I’m making an attempt to not let these “further annoying” losses that Juliet talked about take up an excessive amount of headspace in an general profitable August. However as I wrote this on the final day of the month, whereas the Crimson Sox have been on a four-game dropping streak at house and had misplaced two in a row to the Pittsburgh Pirates. In the meantime, the Yankees have been on a seven-game profitable streak and had retaken second place within the AL East on the again of a collection in opposition to the White Sox. With all of this being mentioned, August has concurrently made me really feel just like the Crimson Sox might make a deep playoff run at occasions whereas additionally wanting like a workforce able to not even making the postseason at others. They’ve actually sunk to their competitors at occasions (exterior of that collection in Baltimore), and that’s an unsustainable pathway for a workforce combating down the stretch.
— Avery Hamel
Relieved? The previous few seasons, the commerce deadline has come and gone with little fanfare, and everybody thinks the sky goes to come back crashing down. After which the sky comes crashing down. This season, the sky is but to come back crashing down, and we’re taking a look at a playoff run for the primary time since 2021. On the very least, September can be significant, so I get to behave like I’m higher than folks for not caring about soccer immediately.
— Jacob Roy
Gaslit from the fallout of the commerce deadline, however general very comfortable. The Crimson Sox, for as soon as in Alex Cora’s post-suspension tenure, didn’t collapse in August and look each bit the playoff workforce they have been predicted to be. They didn’t add sufficient on the commerce deadline amongst a complete bunch of potential playoff groups that did, and Dustin Could seems, nicely, not good via his first month. (Although, I’ll say, Steven Matz seems superior.) The Crimson Sox are an superior workforce, however they need to have added extra, and, ought to they exit the playoffs early, I’ll marvel if they might have gotten additional with yet one more, or a better high quality, addition. The 2 don’t have to be mutually inclusive.
– Dean Roussel
Who was your favourite participant in August?
Roman Anthony. He’s all class, all expertise, all poise, all energy, and all athlete. And he’s solely 21. It’s fairly wonderful. Honorable point out for Payton Tolle too.
— Juliet Hurwitz
Roman Anthony is a straightforward and undoubtedly legitimate reply, however as somebody from Colorado who’s been rooting for Trevor Story for practically so long as I’ve been cognizantly watching baseball, his fairytale August made him my favourite participant in August, and presumably Boston’s most useful. Story hit 5 house runs final month, and the Crimson Sox went 5-0 when he did so. They went 13-5 when Story recorded a success, and 4-5 when he didn’t. These are some fairly stable contributions.
— Avery Hamel
Payton Tolle. The power within the stadium whereas he was on the mound was unbelievable. He appeared to harness the debut adrenaline to his benefit, so who is aware of how his subsequent outing will go, however these 5 innings have been nothing wanting electrical. I hope we get to expertise that just a few extra occasions this season.
— Jacob Roy
In August? Pains me to say this, however, it was Aroldis Chapman. Any time you may cuss out the protection and bullpen however nonetheless know a man computerized sufficient to not enable even ONE hit in a MONTH is ready on the opposite facet of an in depth recreation is a superb feeling.
– Dean Roussel
Roman Anthony, duh. I’m on my strategy to church to gentle a candle for him and you need to be, too.
—Dan Secatore
Who was your least favourite participant?
Jordan Hicks. Each time he bought on the mound, I used to be satisfied he was going to by some means make the sport worse, and for probably the most half he would.
— Juliet Hurwitz
Jordan Hicks was unhealthy. Walker Buehler was additionally unhealthy. Abraham Toro was unhealthy, unhealthy. Masataka Yoshida and Jarren Duran have been barely unhealthy. Whereas there are a great quantity of choices to select from, Jordan Hicks needs to be the reply merely due to the truth that each Buehler and Toro are “gone,” whereas Hicks will doubtless be again on Boston’s 2026 opening roster for optics causes that we received’t quickly escape.
— Avery Hamel
Paul Skenes ruined Payton Tolle evening. So him.
— Jacob Roy
Jordan Hicks. 7.36 ERA, virtually a 2 WHIP, and the sinking feeling in my chest once I noticed him warming up even when behind that knew that we in all probability weren’t profitable that recreation. Plus, with Kyle Harrison doubtless beginning within the subsequent few days, due to how unhealthy Hicks has been, any hiccups Harrison faces in his infancy on the Main League roster is simply going to exacerbate the unhealthy emotions concerning the thinly veiled wage dump that was the Devers commerce.
– Dean Roussel
I like Jordan Hicks for making an attempt to deliver pirate facial again. I don’t admire him for his pitching capacity.
— Dan Secatore
What do you are feeling higher about going ahead?
Jarren Duran. He hasn’t been as sizzling persistently as he was final season, however I believe he’s due for an actual sizzling streak. His inside-the-park-home-run was actually an indication of optimistic offensive manufacturing.
— Juliet Hurwitz
I really feel higher concerning the manufacturing from the catchers going ahead. Connor Wong has clearly been bafflingly unhealthy this 12 months, however he’s discovered a groove over the previous two weeks that’s turned him right into a genuinely above league common spot starter, which is comparatively spectacular regardless of the particular person/place, however much more for Wong at catcher. Carlos Narvaez had an abysmal month (and a half) in July and August, however has equally discovered his groove in current weeks.
— Avery Hamel
The bullpen, weirdly. If the beginning pitching holds up, primarily the highest three, then this bullpen goes to be loaded come playoff time. Dustin Could can throw two innings out of the pen. Payton Tolle can in all probability do the identical. I completely love all-hands-on-deck baseball, and this workforce has some items to excel in that type.
— Jacob Roy
Brayan Bello. He actually is wanting like an actual possibility not simply down the stretch of this playoff run, however in future years. He’s actually discovered a groove this 12 months, and pitching to a 2.27 ERA in August and strolling simply six guys is not any exception to that groove. Even when he runs into bother, he’s bought higher than a puncher’s probability of getting out of it.
– Dean Roussel
The highest finish of the rotation which, if Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito can maintain this going, can be nearly as good as anybody else’s in October. If you happen to can throw three pitchers within the postseason who may give you six-to-seven robust innings each day trip, you may win the World Collection.
— Dan Secatore
What do you are feeling worse about going ahead?
Dustin Could. He simply doesn’t stack as much as what Bello, Giolito, and Crochet have completed this season, and Tolle already looks like a stronger pitcher to me. I actually hope he’s not on the playoff roster (ought to there be one), however that could be inevitable relying on accidents/availability/and so on.
— Juliet Hurwitz
Lucas Giolito. I wrote a few weeks ago about how Giolito’s field scores haven’t aligned along with his manufacturing/efficiency on the mound. This nonetheless holds true, and though he’s been capable of — principally — get away with it because the All-Star break, these peripherals will finally catch as much as him, which can be particularly harmful come the practically solely AL East slate come mid September.
— Avery Hamel
Subsequent 12 months? Is Trevor Story going to decide out? Lucas Giolito actually will. The place does Alex Bregman find yourself? This workforce has the bones of a great one, however free company might actually shake issues up.
— Jacob Roy
The again finish of the rotation. Final season I assumed the principal drawback with the Crimson Sox roster was that, whereas they’d loads of acceptable beginning pitching choices, they didn’t have any high-end expertise. Now, I like the highest three arms on this group and… I don’t even know who the fourth and fifth pitchers are. That’s a recipe for burning a bullpen and struggling down the stretch. However hey: Dustin Could within the unique metropolis join uniforms (see above) may actually be probably the most colourful baseball participant in historical past. In order that’s good.
— Dan Secatore
Are you going to alter your preseason prediction?
I had the Sox in first place within the AL East, which remains to be attainable however is unlikely at this level. So I’m altering it to creating the wildcard, which appears extra possible.
— Juliet Hurwitz
Though I didn’t have an official preseason prediction, my unofficial verdict earlier than the season was that Boston would name up all of its high prospects (test), and make the Wild Card. Whereas Kristian Campbell is struggling in Triple A and Marcelo Mayer bought wrist surgical procedure and disappeared off the face of the Earth, my Wild Card prediction nonetheless stands.
— Avery Hamel
I believe they lose within the ALDS or Wild Card spherical, however sure, it appears fairly clear that, barring something catastrophic, the Crimson Sox are going to complete with greater than 86 wins this 12 months. I don’t wish to get my hopes up, however this workforce appears actually particular and is coming away from sure video games with Ws when those self same video games performed in Could ended up as one run losses. The truth that so most of the difference-makers are inked into the workforce for years to come back is large, and hopefully guys like Alex Bregman and Trevor Story will really feel the vibe and stick round, too. That each one looks like an issue for the offseason, although.
– Dean Roussel
Hell no. The World Collection stays on.
— Jacob Roy
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