ARLINGTON, Texas — Over the past several seasons, August has not been easy for the Boston Red Sox. Not since 2019 have they posted a winning record in August.
After a big win in Arlington on Friday night, the Red Sox fell to the Texas Rangers 7-4 on Saturday, with Tanner Houck allowing six runs in five innings of work.
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Friday, Kutter Crawford allowed four homers despite picking up the win, and though the Red Sox have hit rough patches at other points this season, it’s fair to wonder if this is fatigue setting in and the beginning of another slide.
After this weekend’s series in Texas, the Red Sox head toKansas City for three games against the Royals, whom Boston trails by 2 1/2 games for third place in the American League wild-card race. The Red Sox then head home for six games against the Houston Astros and Rangers before trips to Baltimore and Houston.
In other words, there aren’t many breaks for the rest of the month. The Red Sox have one of the toughest second-half schedules in baseball, and the path to the postseason remains uncertain.
Houck has given up 13 earned runs in 17 innings over three starts since the All-Star break, but he tried to find a silver lining Saturday night.
“Just two pitches I feel like I didn’t execute very well,” he said. “Ultimately, I feel like the fourth inning, that’s all it really was. The rest of the game, I felt like I pounded the zone and threw a lot of strikes, and I feel like I haven’t been doing that the past month.”
Rob Refsnyder did his part to power the offense with a four-hit night, including two home runs in his first two at-bats, the first multi-homer game of his career. Tyler O’Neill was sidelined with illness and Connor Wong played his first professional game at first base to maximize right-handed hitters in the lineup. Meanwhile, Jarren Duran experienced soreness in his right side on a swing, but stayed in the game. Manager Alex Cora said Duran would receive treatment Sunday but was scheduled to be in the lineup.
For the second time tonight, IT'S ROB. pic.twitter.com/8l4Kzc42ls
— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 3, 2024
For as good as this season has been for the Red Sox, this is undoubtedly an uncertain stretch that will determine whether they remain in postseason contention. And though the trade deadline acquisitions offered a bit of a jolt, more reinforcements might be coming — if the Red Sox can stay afloat.
First on the horizon might be reliever Chris Martin. The veteran threw a bullpen Saturday in Texas and is scheduled to go on a rehab assignment Wednesday in Triple-A Worcester. If all goes well, he could be activated by the homestand beginning Friday. Reliever Justin Slaten is a bit further behind but will throw long toss at 120 feet Monday and has “turned a corner,” according Cora.
Next could be Triston Casas. The first baseman has been rehabbing in Triple-A Worcester for the past week as he works his way back from a rib cage fracture, and he had a big night Saturday, going 2-for-4 with a double, driving in three runs. Casas will be with Worcester at least through next weekend, as he’s scheduled to play three straight games for the first time. Cora said he was caught off-guard by comments Casas made Friday about a stabbing pain when he swings. Cora and the medical staff had been under the impression Casas was improving. The 24-year-old has sometimes offered conflicting or confusing updates about his health, and Cora cleared the air.
“(We) had a good conversation with Triston,” Cora said. “He’s fine. Obviously, he will feel it, but it’s not like what he was feeling before he went on the IL. The progress has been great. He feels like the at-bats are progressing the right way. … We want him here — not as fast as possible; whenever he’s ready. And I’m not upset at him, but at the same time, he caught me off-guard because we have a good way of communicating stuff here, and when you read that, you’re like, ‘Oh, shoot, what happened here?’ So hopefully that’s the end of it.”
Casas’ bat undoubtedly strengthens the lineup. Meanwhile, Vaughn Grissom went 1-for-5 as he continues to rehab in Worcester. The Red Sox must determine whether to add him to the active roster or option him to Worcester for more conditioning by Aug. 9.
Then there’s reliever Liam Hendriks. Friday marked the first anniversary of his Tommy John surgery. Hendriks has been with the Red Sox in Texas and met his surgeon, who cleared him to start facing batters. Hendriks will throw a live batting practice session Tuesday, either with the team in Kansas City or in Worcester. He’ll have three live BP sessions over the next couple of weeks, and if he bounces back well, he’ll begin a rehab assignment shortly thereafter.
“He’s done everything the right way,” Cora said. “No cutting corners. He was really good. To have him — you never know; if it’s September, rosters expand — to be part of this would be awesome.”
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Lastly, shortstop Trevor Story surprised everyone with a recent proclamation that he’s trying to return from shoulder surgery sometime this season. Though it appears to be a long shot, the Red Sox aren’t ruling it out.
“I saw Trevor (hitting) soft toss on Wednesday, and I was impressed,” Cora said. “The swing looks normal. Now it’s about building up. I don’t know what’s next with him, but don’t get surprised if he’s doing soft toss now and starts taking BP and starts building up. I don’t know, man. I’m excited about where we’re at, to be honest with you.”
But if the past few years have taught Cora and the Red Sox anything, it’s that they can’t wait for the reinforcements to arrive. Too many times, the internal reinforcements after the trade deadline, whether it be Story or Chris Sale, arrived too late to salvage the season. Cora is determined not to make that the case this year and hopes with a younger team and four players added at the deadline, they’ll be better equipped to avoid an August swoon.
“Our job is to come here and win the series and go to Kansas City and do the same thing and continue to do that,” Cora said. “If they all join us (at some point), that’ll be great. But we’ve been through this path before, like, ‘This guy is coming,’ and it never happened and we played bad baseball. So let’s take care of business, and hopefully, if they come back, we’re in the middle of the pennant race and they can contribute.”
(Photo of Jarren Duran after striking out in the eighth inning: Jerome Miron / USA Today)
Jen McCaffrey is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Boston Red Sox. Prior to joining The Athletic, the Syracuse graduate spent four years as a Red Sox reporter for MassLive.com and three years as a sports reporter for the Cape Cod Times. Follow Jen on Twitter @jcmccaffrey
