Jarren Duran leads a speedy group of young players who have helped the Red Sox get on a roll, winning four straight series. Charles Krupa/Associated Press
The Boston Red Sox are nearly halfway through their schedule, set to play their 81st game Wednesday night of a season that has produced a surprisingly fun brand of baseball.
The Red Sox, who are young, fast and aggressive, began a three-game series against Toronto on Monday night while holding the final playoff spot in the American League.
No one expected that after spring training. Probably not Manager Alex Cora, who has gotten the most from a group that began the season dealing with injuries to crucial players and facing withering criticism from a fan base missing the superstars who have left in recent years.
Cora has done a masterful job using his team’s youth and surprising depth. Sunday was a textbook example of how he moves players in and out of the lineup, and to different positions throughout a game to maximize matchups and get the most from his team.
Jarren Duran, who has developed into one of the best outfielders in the game, began in left field but moved to center in the fifth inning. Ceddanne Rafaela started in center, then moved to shortstop when David Hamilton switched to second base after Wilyer Abreu pinch hit for starting shortstop Romy Gonzalez.
It was all part of a 7-4 win over Cincinnati that made it four straight series wins for the Red Sox.
Manager Alex Cora has pushed the right buttons with the Red Sox, using his versatile lineup to get the best possible matchups. Charles Krupa/Associated Press
It’s way too early for Cora to take a victory lap. There’s too much baseball to play. But he couldn’t help but feel good about his team’s recent 9-2 run.
“We’re very dynamic,” Cora said after Sunday’s win. “We went from a roster that had some question marks early on in the season. Now it feels like it’s one of the best rosters, position player-wise, that we’ve had in a while.”
The Sox returned home from Cincinnati a season-high six games over .500, and arrived in a city still buzzing from Friday’s rolling rally celebrating the Celtics’ NBA championship. That celebration was set to continue at Fenway on Monday night when the Red Sox planned to honor the Celtics before the game.
You want a Green Monster? The Celtics feel their championship is the start of a run that will lead to Coach Joe Mazzulla’s team hanging multiple banners in the coming years.
The Sox don’t have aspirations that lofty. At least not yet, but there is a growing confidence in the clubhouse that this team could play exciting, winning baseball over the coming months. Last week’s series wins over the league-leading Phillies and Yankees provided the belief every young team needs.
After the celebration, Tanner Houck was scheduled to take the mound for his first start since summer arrived last Thursday. He’s been one of the best pitchers in the league, and was looking to go deep into the game and give the bullpen a much-needed rest after totaling 13 2/3 innings over the two wins against the Reds.
It’s an all-hands-on-deck mentality that served this team well over the first half of the season, and promises to make the second half a lot more interesting in Boston.
Tom Caron is a studio host for the Red Sox broadcast on NESN. His column appears in the Portland Press Herald on Tuesdays.
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