3 flaws separating the Boston Red Sox from an AL Wild Card spot
By Rylie Smith
The Boston Red Sox have had a whirlwind of a season, and there are several issues they need to address if they want a shot at postseason success.
The Boston Red Sox have had a highly inconsistent 2022 season. They are at the bottom of the AL East standings for the first time since 2015 and are the only team in the division below .500. Several issues need to be addressed if they want postseason success.
Their biggest issue is, simply, that they aren’t winning enough games. But if we dig a little bit deeper, there are specific problems that need to either be addressed or fixed if this team is going to sniff the postseason.
These three flaws, in particular, are harming their chances of getting an AL Wild Card spot and making it into the playoffs.
Red Sox: 3 flaws keeping Boston out of an AL Wild Card spot
The Red Sox bullpen continues to be painful to watch
The Red Sox have had bullpen issues all season, often closing their games with a complete meltdown. They don’t have many reliable pitchers in general, so they need all the help they can get.
Their most reliable bullpen pitchers are John Schreiber and Garrett Whitlock. Schreiber has produced an ERA of 1.91, batting average against of .183, and a WHIP of 0.85. This has been his best season so far.
Whitlock has done almost as well. He’s produced an ERA of 2.98, BAA of .211 and WHIP of 0.98. His ERA is much worse than last season (1.96), but his BAA and WHIP have improved. Moreover, a lot of that can be attributed to his stint as a starter early in the season. Aside from those two, players are either injured or unreliable.
The bullpen is one of Boston’s biggest weaknesses, and it’d be a good place to start to improve for future postseason success.