sport
Red Sox Stumble into All-Star Break with Playoff Hopes Hanging by a Thread
A 5-2 loss to the Yankees at Fenway Park caps a disastrous homestand as Boston sits 4.5 games back in the wild-card race.
How we reported this
The Boston Red Sox dropped a 5-2 decision to the New York Yankees on Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park, limping into the All-Star break with a 47-47 record and a 4.5-game deficit in the American League wild-card chase.
Fenway Flop: The Weekend That Was
The loss capped a 2-5 homestand that saw the Sox drop series to both the Oakland Athletics and the Yankees. Sunday’s game was emblematic of Boston’s recent struggles: starter Kutter Crawford surrendered four earned runs over six innings, and the offense managed just six hits against Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt. Rafael Devers drove in one run with a double in the fifth, but the Red Sox went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
Why this matters now is simple: Boston heads into the four-day break at .500, and the front office faces a July 30 trade deadline that will define the season. With the Sox sitting fourth in the AL East, general manager Craig Breslow must decide whether to buy, sell, or stand pat. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported earlier this week that rival evaluators view players like outfielder Tyler O’Neill and reliever Kenley Jansen as likely trade candidates if the team falters.
New England’s Summer of Uncertainty
The Red Sox aren’t the only local story. The Boston Celtics wrapped up their Summer League slate in Las Vegas on Friday with a 101-96 win over the Miami Heat, finishing 3-2. Rookie guard Baylor Scheierman, the 30th overall pick, averaged 14.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists across the five games.
At Gillette Stadium, the New England Revolution managed a 1-1 draw with the Chicago Fire on Saturday night. The Revs remain in 14th place in the Eastern Conference, eight points out of the final playoff spot with 13 games to play.
For the Sox, the next two weeks will determine the direction of the franchise. Breslow told reporters before Sunday’s game that the club will “evaluate everything” over the break. The schedule doesn’t get easier: after the All-Star Game on Tuesday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, Boston opens the second half with a three-game series in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.
Fans hoping for a turnaround can point to the schedule. The Sox play 24 of their next 39 games at Fenway, including a critical seven-game homestand from July 25-31 against the New York Mets and Seattle Mariners. If Boston can’t gain ground by then, the trade deadline fireworks will come in the form of departures, not arrivals.