Article: This Yankees Series Will Show Us Who The Red Sox Really Are

[Alex Mayes]

Entering the game on Friday, June 13, the Boston Red Sox face a crossroads. After Alex Bregman's injury in May, the team hit a downward slide that seemed like it might be too much for them to recover from. The rotation fell apart outside of Garrett Crochet, the bullpen was overworked to the point of exhaustion, and the offense looked mostly listless. We are considering the possibility of a fire sale as the trade deadline approaches. We’re not out of the clear yet, the team has a record below .500 and is fourth in the AL East. 

Things turned around when the calendar flipped to June, though. We’re approaching the halfway mark, and the Red Sox have a winning record by a thin margin. The starters have looked like the rotation they were expected to be before the season began, the bullpen has gotten some much-needed rest, and the offense is starting to show just how powerful it can be. The team took a back-to-back series against the Yankees and Rays. Things seem to be trending in the right direction with reinforcements on the way. As we outlined here on Talk Sox earlier in the week, Tanner Houck is throwing bullpens, Chris Murphy looks primed to join the bullpen sometime in July, and Alex Bregman is recovering faster than expected with an eye towards an early July return from the injured list. These roster members, and others mentioned in Nick’s piece, will be returning to a team that should be making a push towards the third Wild Card spot at the very least. 

That’s why this mid-June weekend series against the Yankees is so important. The Red Sox proved in their first meeting with the teams that they are capable of beating the second-best team in the American League, and that trend has to continue as the Red Sox enter play for the second Yankees series in a week. The Red Sox will see two pitchers they saw in the first series, Ryan Yarbrough and Carlos Rodon. The team teed off on both of them and should look to continue to do that in front of the home fans. For the Sunday game, the Sox will see Max Fried for the first time since he joined the Yankees. Fried is sporting a 9-1 record with a 1.84 ERA and 81 strikeouts. He’s going to be tough, but he’s beatable. The Sox have lined up against multiple teams’ top starters a few times this season and have played well against them. There’s precedent here for the Red Sox to win this series. The starters have to show up, the bullpen has to be nails, and the offense needs to hang crooked numbers on the starters every night. But it’s so doable. This team is better than they have shown this season. 

If the Red Sox can take two of three games, or even figure out a way to sweep, it puts the rest of the league on notice. It shows that the Red Sox are playing without their best lineup on the field, and they can scratch and claw their way to wins against teams that are current World Series favorites. If we recall 2024, the season turned around when the Red Sox beat the Yankees and Phillies in back-to-back series. Going into the middle of June with three series wins under their belts, the postseason is in play. If they can ride a hot streak until the middle of July or the trade deadline, I believe the AL East is in play. I’ve said since before the season that the Yankees don’t scare me. They are a good team, but they aren’t the world beaters they’ve been made out to be. The Red Sox have a prime opportunity to fully turn their season around with this mid-June Yankees series. It’s time to prove that they put their money where their mouth is and show the rest of the league that even though it has been a rough start to the season, you shouldn’t count the Red Sox out just yet.

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[TedYazPapiMookie]

Let's be fair.  Crochet going against the Yankees is a game Boston must win.  He's one of the top 3 pitchers in the AL What that says is Boston has ONE GUY who can shut the Yankees down.  I don't think anyone at this point doubts Crochet as a top ace.  

The next two games flip the script.  Rodon vs Dobbins.  Advantage NYY.  Winning that game means a lot more than today's victory.  I love Dobbin's attitude toward the Yankees; it's a throwback to yesteryear.  Can he match-up effectively with Rodon a second time?  Maybe.  If the Red Sox win that game, they might have some momentum.  If they get slaughtered, nobody would be surprised because it is a mismatch on paper.  The trick is to pick up the pieces and take a shot at an even better pitcher the next day:  Fried.

If Boston gets beat easily the next two days that's no big deal.  The team has assembled a future group of stars and are feeling their way as they adjust to all the new skills available to Cora.  If he is not successful with them, then it's time to move on.  If his illogical batting orders and poorly timed pitching substitutions still provide wins, then you have the formula for the 2026 Red Sox.

Time will tell.  Today was a fun game.  You got to see Crochet's greatness.  You got to see Judge's greatness and you got to see an extra inning win which has been hard to come by.  I hope all the games in the series are as exciting.

[moonslav59]

I've not been a believer in the Yanks from December, and I never thought one guy could carry a team like Judge has. I never expected Goldy to be a locks, nor Grisham and Rice to be A-Roni.

No Cole, but they have 3 SP'ers leading the AL in GS w 14, although one, Warren has a 4.86 ERA.

All this, with their closer having a 5.68 ERA.

They are showing there are some different ways to get to a 42-26 record.

Maybe this series will tell us more about who the Yanks are than the Sox.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

In 5-on-5 type sports like basketball and hockey, star power can dominate games. Hockey also features goalies, who can single-handedly control outcomes.

But in team sports with basically double the players - football, baseball - even key positions like QB and pitcher need a lot of support from teammates.

Not last night. The Yankees have been carried all year by one superhuman slugger (they do have a few really good pitchers, but they didn't work Friday).

Meanwhile, the Red Sox had two greats collaborating: Crochet and Narvaez. Chapman also contributed his usual consistency. This trio has been money all season, but it hasn't been enough... a healthy return of Bregman and the maturation of top prospects has to combine for the Sox to make a playoff run...

[Malcolm White]

It's Sunday now, and if this was the series to show us who the Red Sox really are, we're in for an exciting summer.  Wish I could buy it, but the lineup is relying on Narvaez, Toro and rookies who don't look ready with the bat (perhaps Mayer excepted). They struggle to score.

Their margin for error is razor-thin, as were all three games this weekend. No Slaten or Hendicks, a taxed bullpen and an unsteady lineup puts all the pressure on the starters, who until the last two turns weren't even close to shouldering it.

But there was something about Bello going into the 7th today, about their handling of Judge (!), and Whit's dominance that was something to build on as they head West.