Watch the full episode below 👇

Episode Summary

The Red Sox welcomed Rafael Devers back to Fenway Park by doing something Boston fans probably enjoyed even more than booing him: sweeping the Giants right out of town. Nick, John, and Thayer break down Boston’s three-game sweep of San Francisco, the mixed reaction to Devers’ return, and whether fans were justified in turning on the former Red Sox star. The crew also digs into the emergence of Nick Sogard, Boston’s dramatically improved play at Fenway, and why this team suddenly looks like a legitimate threat in the American League.

The conversation then turns toward the decisions that could define the stretch run. Roman Anthony, Trevor Story and IKF are working their way back, but the current roster is producing—and nobody is particularly eager to disrupt what’s working. The guys debate Story’s future, Boston’s starting rotation, managing innings for Payton Tolle and Sonny Gray, getting more out of Ranger Suárez and Patrick Sandoval, and the potential roles of Brayan Bello and eventually Garrett Crochet. Finally, the crew previews the upcoming Marlins series before the much bigger four-game showdown with the Yankees.

Takeaways

* The Red Sox completed a three-game sweep of the Giants, with all three victories coming from behind.

* Rafael Devers received heavy boos throughout his return to Fenway, sparking a debate over whether Boston fans were justified in their reaction.

* Nick Sogard continues to make a strong case to remain Boston’s everyday second baseman and potentially stay near the top of the lineup.

* Boston’s turnaround at Fenway has been dramatic after an awful start to the season at home.

* The Red Sox have become one of baseball’s better comeback teams and have piled up sweeps during their second-half surge.

* Chad Tracy received considerable credit for bullpen management, lineup decisions and effectively using Boston’s bench.

* Trevor Story’s struggles during his Worcester rehab assignment raised serious questions about whether he should immediately return to the major-league roster.

* Roman Anthony’s eventual return creates a roster crunch involving Jarren Duran, Jahmai Jones, Eli White and the DH spot.

* Sonny Gray remains the most trusted arm in the rotation, while Boston must carefully manage the workloads of Peyton Tolle and Jake Bennett.

* Ranger Suárez needs to begin pitching deeper into games as Boston prepares for a possible postseason run.

* Patrick Sandoval may not dominate, but eating innings and keeping Boston competitive would be enough from the back end of the rotation.

* The crew expects Boston to take at least two of three from Miami, with Nick predicting a sweep before the critical four-game Yankees series.

* Ceddanne Rafaela’s development into a dependable everyday center fielder has quietly become one of Boston’s biggest success stories.

* Garrett Crochet could potentially become a fascinating postseason weapon if he progresses enough to contribute in short outings.

Chapters

00:00 Red Sox Sweep the Giants03:40 Rafael Devers Returns to Fenway13:00 Nick Sogard Takes Control of Second Base21:18 The Third Strike — Are the Red Sox Legit?27:20 The Martinello Minute — Fenway Is Alive Again34:45 Face the Facts — The Injured Players Are Coming Back39:10 Trevor Story’s Return Creates a Problem47:50 Breaking Down the Red Sox Rotation59:03 Ranger Suárez Needs to Step Up1:06:25 Red Sox vs. Marlins Series Preview1:15:15 Roman Anthony and the Coming Roster Crunch1:21:33 Ceddanne Rafaela’s Breakout Season1:26:41 Could Garrett Crochet Return for the Playoffs?

Watch the full episode below 👇

Episode Summary:

The Red Sox picked a terrible time to start unraveling.

Boston dropped two of three at Fenway to a Seattle Mariners team that arrived riding a five-game losing streak, surrendering 25 runs in the series and continuing a brutal stretch in which the pitching staff has been getting hammered. The Sox escaped Monday with a 10-inning comeback win behind Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Trevor Story, but things went sideways quickly after that. Jedixson Paez was shelled Tuesday, and Seattle finished the job Wednesday with an 8–3 win.

Jim, Nick and John dig into a pitching staff that suddenly looks completely gassed, a bullpen running out of trustworthy arms, the injuries piling up around Adley Rutschman, Willson Contreras and Tyrone Guerrero, and the growing possibility that Boston could actually turn what looked like a comfortable playoff position into a September disaster.

The crew also debates the strange numbers surrounding Roman Anthony and Trevor Story being in the lineup together, revisits Boston’s offseason decisions involving Alex Bregman and the prospects sacrificed in later trades, and lays out several realistic scenarios in which the Red Sox could blow their postseason berth completely.

Then it’s time to look ahead to Baltimore, where optimism is in short supply. John predicts Boston takes three of four, Nick sees the Orioles winning three of four, and Jim goes all the way with an Orioles sweep. Add in Garrett Crochet’s bizarre appearance catching Joe Kelly’s ceremonial first pitch while still on the IL, and there’s plenty to question about how Boston is handling its battered roster.

September baseball has arrived. Unfortunately, so has the Red Sox collapse watch.

Takeaways:

* Boston lost two of three at Fenway to Seattle and allowed 25 runs during the series.

* The Red Sox pitching staff has allowed at least eight runs in five consecutive games, raising serious concerns about both the rotation and bullpen heading into the stretch run.

* Jedixson Paez was hit hard in his major-league opportunity, allowing eight runs on 10 hits in fewer than four innings.

* Roman Anthony has looked excellent since returning from the IL, while Trevor Story has also produced offensively despite continuing defensive concerns.

* Adley Rutschman’s hyperextended elbow, Willson Contreras’ hamstring injury and Tyrone Guerrero’s shoulder issue are adding to Boston’s September depth problems.

* Nick argues that Boston’s injury problems expose larger organizational issues involving conditioning, development and roster construction.

* The crew revisits the Alex Bregman decision and questions whether retaining Bregman could have prevented Boston from later sacrificing significant prospect capital for Rutschman and Curtis Mead.

* Boston’s playoff cushion is no longer comfortable, and the remaining schedule contains very few games against teams with nothing to play for.

* Several realistic collapse scenarios are discussed, including a disastrous Baltimore series, stumbling against the Angels and Royals, and brutal road stretches against Texas and Tampa Bay.

* The upcoming four-game Orioles series is viewed as potentially pivotal, with Jim predicting a Baltimore sweep, Nick predicting Baltimore takes three of four, and John predicting Boston wins three of four.

* Garrett Crochet catching Joe Kelly’s ceremonial first pitch while still recovering on the IL sparked another round of questions about Boston’s decision-making.

* The central concern entering Baltimore is simple: Boston’s starters have to provide six-plus innings because the bullpen no longer has enough reliable arms to continually cover the middle innings.

Chapters:

0:00 Red Sox Digest Opens — Seattle Comes to Fenway and Boston Collapses2:11 Let’s Get Into It! — Mariners Take 2 of 3 and Score 25 Runs8:08 Nick Face’s Numbers of the Day — The Pitching Staff Implodes18:41 Roman Anthony, Trevor Story and the Strange Red Sox Record21:59 The Martinello Minute — Boston’s Pitching Staff Is Gassed29:53 Fenway Rage Management Chewables31:05 Five Ways the Red Sox Could Blow the Playoffs40:45 Orioles Series Pitching Probables44:30 Baltimore Predictions — Optimism vs. Full-Blown Collapse49:03 Garrett Crochet, Joe Kelly and the Ceremonial First-Pitch Debacle53:52 Fan Comments — Collapse Watch, Rutschman and the Wild Card Race68:40 Final Thoughts and Closing