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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Clay Buchholz left his start against the New York Yankees on July 10 with an elbow injury and is headed to the disabled list.

Continue for updates.

Buchholz MRI Reveals No UCL Damage

Saturday, July 11

Rob Bradford of WEEI reported Buchholz will has been added to the disabled list after undergoing an MRI, though the test revealed no ligament damage. Buchholz’s UCL is in good shape, but he’ll take a week off of throwing, according to Tim Britton of the Providence Journal.

The official diagnosis is a flexor strain, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com. When asked whether or not Buchholz will pitch again this season, manager John Farrell said, “at this point, it’s not a question,” via Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.

Gordan Edes of ESPN noted Nationals pitcher Doug Fister had the same injury and missed a little over a month before he returned. 

Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal noted Buchholz has never experienced elbow issues before, though he has battled shoulder and knee problems in recent years.

The Red Sox pitcher had given up one run on six hits against the Yankees before he was forced to leave the game with one out in the fourth inning, as Baseball Tonight announced:

MacPherson reported he went “straight into the clubhouse” upon leaving the field with a trainer and was replaced by Robbie Ross Jr.

Buchholz has struggled since the Red Sox won the World Series in 2013. In that season, he went 12-1 in 16 starts with a 1.74 ERA, earning the second All-Star appearance of his career. His ERA ballooned to 5.34 in 2014, as he went 8-11 in 28 starts.

Buchholz has steadied the ship this season, going 7-6 with a 3.26 ERA and 107 strikeouts before the elbow injury. He has just 25 fewer punch-outs than he did last season despite pitching in almost 60 fewer innings this year. 

Boston does not need any additional problems with its pitching staff, as it’s already thin with Buchholz as the Red Sox ace. Sitting at the bottom of the American League East, Boston has been surging toward a challenge for the division, winning 10 of its last 14 games. The Red Sox sit only 5.5 games behind the division-leading Yankees despite being in last place.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com

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July is the month when the tension starts to ratchet up in the daily drama of big league baseball. The approaching trade deadline is an important notch in the season-long arc. The teams who are in it to win it collect whatever extra weapons and spare parts they can garner, while the also-rans pack up and start talking about next year.  

Cubs Looking For Arms

With the Chicago Cubs suddenly finding themselves ahead of schedule in their rebuilding plan, the perennial underdogs may be gearing to make a run for this year’s wild card while also improving for next year. Fox Sports’ Jon Paul Morosi reported on Sunday that most of the Cubs’ trade discussions have centered around adding pitchers, preferably ones who offers something for the future:

The Cubs would prefer to trade for a starting pitcher whom they would control beyond this year, because they lack major-league-ready starters in the upper levels of their system. If they’re going to play on a big name, Cole Hamels (signed to a long-term contract) makes more sense than Johnny Cueto (pending free agent).

Clay Buchholz and Jeff Samardzija Could Be Available

More teams than not are looking for arms at this point in the season, and there should be some talent available. In the June 28 Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo listed both the Boston Red Sox’s Clay Buchholz and the Chicago White Sox’s Jeff Samardzija as potentially on the block. 

With the Red Sox hovering at around six games back in a weak division, they may not be quite ready to throw in the towel and retool. But if they don’t start hot after the All-Star break, it might be time to shop Buchholz if they can get value for him in return. 

Buchholz has had a good season for a disappointing team. He’s struck out just over four batters for every one he has walked. His WHIP is just 1.19 and his ERA 3.27.

If the Cubs were to go across town and trade for Samardzija, they would be picking up a hurler with potential but one who has struggled this year. Samardzija has led the league in hits allowed, though his control has remained good. 

As the current project of former front office prodigy Theo Epstein, the Cubs are playing for beyond this season and hope to build  a solid franchise that will contend yearly for the post season. Slotting in a pitcher with Buchholz‘s experience and talent some place in the middle of a rotation would make the Cubs stronger immediately. 

Buchholz is due to collect $13,000,000 for the next two seasons. It works out to fair value for a playoff team, if he continues to contribute to his current level. 

Giants Trolling For Offense

While the Cubs have been chasing arms, it sounds like the San Francisco Giants are aiming to add a bat for the stretch. Sunday evening, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted:

The Giants have been able to stay above .500 this year—within striking distance of the wild card—and if they can bolster their offense, their pitching should make them competitive against a lot of teams in a short series. 

Cameron Maybin has been a pleasant surprise for the Atlanta Braves this year, and as Olney himself tweeted, Atlanta is probably not going to trade him on the cheap:

Gerardo Parra might have a bit more pop in his bat than Maybin anyway, and with the Milwaukee Brewers’ 2015 season already a runaway train wreck, he might be easier to pick up. 

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The Boston Red Sox don’t have an ace starting pitcher. I’ve said it. Chances are you’ve probably said it as well. It’s been the consensus since, well, ever.

Clay Buchholz, however, begs to differ.

Buchholz made his 16th start of 2015 on Monday night against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre, and it went quite well. In pacing the Red Sox to a 3-1 victory, Buchholz allowed just one run on five hits in eight innings. He struck out five and walked nobody. MLB.com’s official Twitter feed highlighted his stats:

Now, the downside is that this victory only pushed Boston’s record to 35-43. The Red Sox are still a bad team, and the main reason for that is still their starting pitching. With a 4.71 ERA, Red Sox starters rank last in the American League.

But don’t look at that and then point your wagging finger at Buchholz. He’s doing his part to bring that number down, and in general he has been pitching better than you might think.

In 10 starts dating back to May 10, Buchholz has racked up a 2.33 ERA and 4.31 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 69.2 innings. In doing so, he’s dropped his ERA from 6.03 to 3.48.

To be sure, an ERA like that doesn’t exactly jump off the page. But if you turn to the know-it-all geek stats at FanGraphs—those being FIP, xFIP and SIERA—they’ll tell you that Buchholz actually deserves an ERA that would put him among the American League’s 10 best pitchers:

The message here is that Buchholz has pitched better than his ERA indicates. And regarding that opinion, you don’t need to take it from a bunch of acronyms that look like they belong on a graphing calculator.

For one, there’s the fact that Buchholz’s ERA for the season would be 2.76 if you were to remove his early-season clunker (nine earned runs in 3.1 innings) at Yankee Stadium. Beyond that, there’s the fact that his 4.17 K/BB ratio is easily the best of his career. Even further beyond that, there’s the fact that he entered Monday’s start with a career-low 23.6 hard-hit rate.

In so many words: Buchholz’s season has been fantastic outside of a single bad start, and that makes sense in light of how he’s racking up strikeouts and limiting both walks and hard contact.

This, certainly, doesn’t sound anything like the enigma that Buchholz has so often been over the years. It almost sounds like he’s become a good pitcher.

Which, wouldn’t you know it, appears to be the case.

In fairness, the dominance Buchholz has flashed this season isn’t totally out of left field. The 30-year-old right-hander made a run at the American League Cy Young Award with a 2.33 ERA in 2010, and seemed to hit a peak with a 1.71 ERA through his first dozen starts of 2013 before injuries waylaid his season.

Ask the man himself, though, and he’ll say he’s pitching even better now than he was in the early portion of ’13. That’s what Alex Speier of the Boston Globe got out of him, anyway:

Speier has a full article in which Buchholz elaborated on the differences between 2015 and 2013, with the main and most important one being that he feels like he has complete control over his arsenal of pitches.

In Buchholz’s words:

I look back at 2013, there were a couple games where I had all my pitches working but I worked off fastball command and might have had a changeup that day or my curveball. But very rarely did I have all four or five working that day. It just doesn’t happen that often.

The last couple times out, I’ve had a really good feel for a strike curveball and a curveball I can throw in the dirt. Same thing with the changeup. I actually feel like I’m throwing a little better now than I did then in terms of having a feel for each pitch.

It’s admittedly not that easy to take all this and confirm it with numbers, but some things do check out.

Courtesy of Brooks Baseball, Buchholz entered Monday throwing his four-seamer, sinker, cutter, curveball and changeup at least 14.8 percent of the time. That’s about as true of a five-pitch pitcher as a guy can be.

And yet, such a complex arsenal hasn’t negatively impacted Buchholz’s command. He went into Monday’s start throwing 48.1 percent of his pitches in the strike zone. That’s above his career rate of 45.5 percent and easily better than the rate of 42.5 percent he posted in 2013.

According to Baseball Savant, this is partially owed to the fact that 11.6 percent of Buchholz’s pitches are changeups and curveballs in the strike zone. That’s the highest rate he’s done that since 2011.

From here, there are more complicated roads we can go down. But the gist that Buchholz has very good command of a true five-pitch mix is not one that should be shrugged off with a “Great story, man.” There aren’t many pitchers who can say as much, and there’s probably no shortage of hitters who would tell you that five pitches plus command does not equal a comfortable at-bat.

But the single-biggest reason for Buchholz’s success this season? That might be his new-look changeup.

One thing Buchholz’s changeup has always had going for it is good velocity separation from that of his heater. And that’s still the case. He’s averaging 92 mph with his four-seamer and sinker this year and 80 mph with his changeup. That’s a difference of 12 mph, which is plenty to get a hitter out on his front foot.

But what Buchholz’s changeup has now that it didn’t before is lots of lateral movement. Eno Sarris of FanGraphs highlighted that in late May, and we can see it illustrated in this graph from Brooks Baseball:

See that big drop? That’s a changeup that once had very little arm-side run suddenly gaining a lot of it. Sarris has some GIFs that show it in action. So does Nick Pollack at PitcherList.com, who wrote that Buchholz’s changeup is his “best pitch and one that will keep the strikeouts alive.”

And he’s right about that. Entering Monday, Brooks Baseball says Buchholz’s changeup had accounted for 29 of his 91 strikeouts, easily the most of any of his pitches. Also, hitters were batting just .114 against it. Per Baseball Prospectus, that was the third-best mark among all changeups thrown by all starters.

So, Buchholz isn’t just a starter with very good command of a legit five-pitch mix. He’s that and a guy with one elite out pitch. That, friends, is a dangerous pitcher.

And all this, of course, helps explain why he’s suddenly in demand.

Whether the struggling Red Sox should trade Buchholz or keep him was the subject of Speier’s article. And according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, pitching-needy teams have their eyes on Buchholz. Rightfully so, as he comes with both talent and two more years of club control after 2015.

You have to think, however, that the Red Sox won’t deal Buchholz unless they’re really sure they’re out of the race. And if he keeps pitching like this, that’s a call they may not have to make.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked.

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The Boston Red Sox have had an eventful offseason, but without a true ace, they can’t expect to seriously contend for a World Series.

After losing out on the Jon Lester sweepstakes, the Red Sox currently plan to start the year with Clay Buchholz atop the rotation. Buchholz has had flashes of dominance, but he’s lacked consistency. In his eight-year career, Buchholz has never started over 30 games.

Along with Buchholz, the Red Sox enter 2015 with Rick Porcello, Wade Miley, Justin Masterson and Joe Kelly filling out the rest of the rotation.

General manager Ben Cherington seems content with this solid rotation. In an interview with The Boston Globe‘s Peter Abraham, Cherington said, “We think we have enough pitching talent to put together a good pitching staff, one that can help us contend in the division.”

James Shields still remains on the market, and according to USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale (h/t CSNWashington‘s Chase Hughes), Cole Hamels could be available. If the Red Sox aspire for more than just a division title, they must add one of those two players.

In all three of their championships, the Red Sox have relied on at least one ace. In 2004, they had Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez. Josh Beckett led the 2007 staff, winning 20 games and posting a 3.27 ERA. And in 2013, Jon Lester had a 3.75 ERA, including a 1.56 ERA in the postseason.

While Boston’s pitching is lacking, they have an embarrassment of riches on offense.

With the additions of Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval, the Red Sox have a potent lineup. But they still have some important decisions to make, especially in the outfield.

MLB.com’s Ian Browne predicts that Cherington will have to make a trade or two by the end of spring training to clear up the outfield.

Hanley Ramirez will start in left, and Rusney Castillo looks to be the everyday center fielder. Right field will be much more competitive, with Mookie Betts and Shane Victorino vying for the job. Victorino battled through a back injury most of last year, while Mookie Betts proved he belongs in the big leagues, hitting .291 through 52 games.

Regardless of who earns the spot, the Red Sox will end up with a great fourth outfielder. Boston also has Daniel Nava and Allen Craig, who can both play the outfield and first base. Craig struggled in his time in Boston, and after a slow start, Nava had a strong second half of the season.

There’s no need for the Red Sox to have both Nava and Craig, and Craig seems like the probable trade candidate since the Marlins are reportedly interested in him, according to The Boston Globe‘s Nick Cafardo (h/t NBC Sports’ Drew Silva).

The Red Sox are built to bounce back from their disappointing season last year, but to return to championship form, they still have a few more moves to make. Whether that’s before Opening Day or around the trade deadline, don’t expect the Red Sox to be playing deep into October if they refuse to address the rotation. 

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Boston Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz is hoping to avoid a dubious feat this season, as he’s in danger of becoming the first pitcher to triple his ERA from one year to the next while throwing more than 100 innings in both campaigns, per ESPN Stats & Info (via Elias Sports Bureau).

After posting a 1.74 ERA over 108.1 frames (16 starts) last year, Buchholz saw his 2014 ERA balloon to 5.87 with an ugly outing Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The 29-year-old surrendered seven runs (all earned) over five innings in a 14-1 loss, and he now owns the American League’s fourth-worst ERA among pitchers who have tossed 60 or more frames.

With 96.2 innings to his name this season, Buchholz will likely hit triple digits in his next start, which is scheduled for Sunday against the New York Yankees.

As the first part of the criteria is seemingly unavoidable, Buchholz will need to lower his ERA below 5.22 by the end of the season to avoid an unfortunate piece of history.

Optimism may be hard to come by in Boston these days, but Buchholz does stand a decent chance to finish south of the 5.22 mark.

Since returning from a knee injury June 25, he owns a semi-respectable 4.63 ERA over seven starts.

Prior to the injury, Buchholz—owner of a 3.86 career ERA—posted an unsightly 7.02 mark through his first 10 starts of the season.

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To understand the ratings here and why these specific players are risky, first you must understand risk. This is not a general term, but a very specific term of art most closely related to the insurance industry. While we all know Flo and the Geico gecko, few of us have learned how insurance works or why it’s so profitable. If you want to know why Matt Kemp, Derek Jeter and Joe Mauer—three of the biggest names in baseball with contracts to match—are risky, please let me explain before you blow up in the comments.

The Risk Ratings are based on a system that I have been developing for the last 14 years. I was lucky enough to be given access to the actuarial tables created by baseball back then from their actual injury data. Those “Red Books” stopped being published a while back, but the data continue to be developed. Much like you have a rating when you go to insure your house or car, players have the same type of rating. 

If you drive a Corvette, your insurance base will be higher than if you drive a Camry. If you’re a teenager, your rates will be higher than that little old lady from Pasadena. The same is true for baseball players. Age, position, injury history and several other factors go into the ratings. They begin with an actuarial base and then are adjusted up or down by the various factors.

The ratings are then simplified into bands. While there is an underlying number from 0-110, I collect them into three bands—red for high risk, yellow for medium risk and green for low risk. It’s simple and while people often ask for more specific numerical ratings, I don’t feel that it adds significantly to the value of the Risk Ratings.

(Also, I’m admittedly paranoid about people trying to reverse engineer the system! It’s been tried.)

I’ll have the full ratings for you on Friday, in plenty of time for your fantasy drafts, but for now, here are 10 top players whose risk is such that you’ll need to really think about them before putting them at the heart of your team. Of course, the managers and general managers of these teams have real concerns as well. 

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After three full months on the DL with a shoulder injury, Clay Buchholz returned to the Boston Red Sox rotation Tuesday night. He had a pretty good performance too, pitching five scoreless innings with three hits and six strikeouts against the Tampa Bay Rays.

His performance should help put fans at ease. But how does Buchholz’s return impact the team and improve its World Series odds?

Impact on the rotation

Clay Buchholz’s return is nothing but a net positive for the Red Sox, as he will give them a few additional options down the stretch. With Felix Doubront now moved to the bullpen, manager John Farrell can use Doubront to help set his rotation for the playoffs.

The rotation is currently set up as follows: Buchholz, Ryan Dempster, Jake Peavy, John Lackey and Jon Lester. This order does not necessarily reflect who the best pitcher on the team is; only the order they are now throwing in.

As it currently stands, Lester, Buchholz and Dempster would start the final three games, with the first game of the playoffs being the following Friday. Sure, Dempster would still get full rest if he were tabbed as the Game 1 starter (which is unlikely), but you also have to deal with other factors.

Does Farrell want his Game 1 starter to have pitched on the final Saturday or Sunday of the regular season? What about his Game 2 starter? Those factors have to be taken into consideration, and that’s why having Doubront in the bullpen is such a luxury. Farrell can now set his team up for success in the best way possible by giving Doubront a start if needed.

Will Buchholz start Game 1?

That’s a question that can’t be answered until the final week of the regular season.

Remember, Buchholz has only had one start since returning from injury. He’s still got at least two more to make before a real decision can be made. In fact, when it comes to the ALDS, he should be held for Game 2 or 3. That way, you’re assured he gets in one more start before the end of the regular season.

While managers are starting to be careful this late in the year with their playoff starters, not wanting to tire them out, Buchholz needs all the work he can get. He needs to see a lot more hitters before you can confidently throw him out there in the playoffs.

Of course, I could be wrong and he may be ready to pitch Game 1. But it’s best to err on the side of caution when it comes to Buchholz. You don’t need his confidence shaken at this critical point in the season.

World Series odds

When it comes to the American League, I don’t improve any team’s chances at the World Series based on the return of one pitcher. Sure, he can be lights-out, but there’s also a DH used, which complicates things a little more.

Pitching can be the key to winning a series, but runs still have to be put on the board, which was rare in last year’s AL playoffs. Teams scored three runs or less a total of 15 times in the ALDS out of 20 opportunities.

In the ALCS, five out of the eight opportunities saw the Yankees and Tigers score three runs or less. What that shows is all teams are getting good pitching, but their offense isn’t scoring the runs needed. That’s the real key to winning in the AL in the playoffs.

So, the odds are the Red Sox making the World Series don’t improve. They’re still my favorite considering they lead all of baseball in runs scored (759), RBI (730) and extra-base hits (512). The Red Sox also have converted 85 percent of their stolen-base attempts, only getting caught 19 of 130 times. That’s a recipe for success in the postseason.

While having Buchholz back is nice for the rotation, pitching alone won’t determine the AL’s winner. The winner is going to be the team that can hit the good pitching and score when given the opportunities.

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As the pennant races heat up and teams begin to fall by the wayside, big-name players will be relied on to step up in pressure situations. When given the opportunity, certain players will have the chance to redeem themselves.

For an organization to make a run at the World Series, all 40 players on the roster must work as a well-oiled machine. If one part is broken, the whole system can shut down. But, if that part can be fixed, it’s full-steam ahead to the pennant.

These 12 players have hobbled their way through the 2013 season, hampering the potential of their respective teams. Whether via underachievement or injury, these major leaguers with subpar seasons can make a serious difference down the stretch.

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.

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Boston Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington is currently in the midst of a search for a starting pitcher who can replace Clay Buchholz in the franchise’s rotation.

Peter Gammons of MLB Network reports a few players the Red Sox are scouting:

Buchholz started the season on fire and was up there was some of the best in the league. The right-hander was 9-0 through 12 starts and had allowed just 16 earned runs in 84.1 innings of work (1.71 ERA). He also racked up 81 strikeouts while walking 29 batters on the year. But he hasn’t pitched since June 8.

Buchholz has been experiencing pain when he’s tried to throw lately, and while he’s been the recipient of good news from Dr. James Andrews, there’s still no clear indication as to when he’ll be pitching again for Boston, according to Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe. The righty is targeting late August or early September.

The Red Sox have the sixth-best rotation in baseball at the moment in terms of WAR, according to FanGraphs. Boston has been using internal replacements to pitch in Buchholz’s place since he last took the mound more than a month ago. Right now, Brandon Workman is the team’s No. 5 starter.

While Workman has been great in his lone two starts, Boston really needs to land someone from outside the organization. Based on the players Gammons listed as potential targets, here are the top three external replacements for Buchholz.

3. Yovani Gallardo, Milwaukee Brewers

The Red Sox would be smart to stay away from Gallardo in the next few days. While he’s been good in the past, he’s struggled to get into a groove this season. Through 22 starts, the right-hander is 8-9 with a 4.88 ERA. He’s averaging 7.28 strikeouts and 3.49 walks per nine innings.

Jayson Stark of ESPN recently discussed Gallardo, and the scribe pointed out why he’s probably not worth taking a chance on:

Gallardo’s velocity is down about 2 mph. His strikeout rate (7.2 per 9 IP) and WHIP (1.42) are at career-worst levels. And three scouts who have seen him recently all describe him as just a No. 4 or 5 starter.

Two years ago, said one scout, he was “close to an ace. [But] lots of pitches on that arm from then to now. He can really pitch, but his stuff [has gone] way back.”

Well, that doesn’t sound very good at all. The last thing the Red Sox need right now is someone who’s only going to pitch in the back of the rotation. Buchholz was the team’s best starting pitching this season, and the team is looking to add someone comparable to what he’s capable. Gallardo doesn’t fit that mold right now.

If Boston is going to make a deal for a starting pitcher, it’s advised to land someone who has more experience against the teams on the bulk of the remaining schedule. Gallardo only has two career starts against teams in the AL East, and one of them was against the Red Sox.

For those keeping track at home, cross Gallardo off the list.

2. Bud Norris, Houston Astros

Norris is an intriguing option.

The right-hander has spent his entire career with the Astros but has made the most of his time there. Through 21 starts this season, Norris is 6-9 with a 3.93 ERA. He isn’t a huge strikeout pitcher (6.43 K/9) but doesn’t walk a ton of opposing batters either (3.07 BB/9). Opponents are hitting .273 off him this year, which isn’t great.

But the point is that Norris has survived pitching in Houston for this long, and the guy has quite a bit of value. If he didn’t, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports wouldn’t have reported that he’s drawing considerable interest. Players who aren’t worth anything don’t draw interest. He could make a big difference down the stretch.

Norris made what might be his last start at Minute Made Park on Wednesday night against Oakland, and the starter told Angel Verdejo Jr. of the Houston Chronicle about his emotions after receiving quite the ovation from the fans:

They’ve been great all along. I have played here four years, and they’ve always had my back since day one. I really, really appreciate when you get that support from the people in the city.

It’s really exciting. I thank them for everything. Whatever my future holds, it holds for me. But my focus is still here.

While Norris might be a better option than the likes of Edinson Volquez or Gallardo, he still isn’t exactly what the Red Sox need. Boston needs someone who can pitch atop the rotation. If Norris gets traded to the Red Sox, he’ll likely be a middle-of-the-rotation guy. He’d help Boston’s playoff odds but not by much.

1. Jake Peavy, Chicago White Sox

If the Phillies don’t make Cliff Lee available before the trade deadline, Jake Peavy needs to be Boston’s No. 1 priority. While the righty has spent some time on the disabled list this season, there’s no question that he’s the best starter on the market. If the Red Sox are going to get anyone, it needs to be Peavy.

Through 13 starts this season, the veteran is 8-4 with a 4.28 ERA. In 80 innings of work, Peavy has 76 strikeouts and 17 walks. While he isn’t the ace he used to be—winning the NL Cy Young back in 2007—he still has ace qualities. There’s no question he’d be the No. 1 guy in Boston’s starting rotation.

Peavy is under contract through next season, and the White Sox aren’t sure what they want to do with him yet, according to Buster Olney of ESPN (Insider subscription required). Olney reports that the price tag is going to be very high if a team wants to land him in the next few days.

But of the starters out there who Boston could land, Peavy is the only one who would be worthy paying a lot for. The Red Sox have plenty of good prospects who could interest the White Sox, and Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports that Boston could send Will Middlebrooks Chicago’s way.

In reality, Cherington should be thinking Peavy or nothing.

All statistics used in this article were obtained via FanGraphs unless otherwise noted and are current through July 26. All contact information was obtained via Cot’s Contracts and all injury information was obtained via Baseball Prospectus.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Boston sports fans coming off their Stanley Cup hangovers are beginning to notice the Red Sox again, and what they are seeing is a team defying all expectations.

In fact, the Sox are on pace for one of the greatest single-season turnarounds in franchise history.

With exactly half the season (81 games) gone, the Red Sox entered last night’s game against the Blue Jays with a record of 48-33. They then won again, and assuming they keep the same pace through the second half, they would wind up with a mark of 96-66—a 27-game improvement over the dreadful 69-93 season turned in by the last-place Boys of Bobby Valentine in 2012.

That dramatic of a win differential in back-to-back seasons has not occurred in Boston since the MLB schedule expanded to 162 games in 1961. The closest were the “Impossible Dream” Red Sox, who went from a 70-92, ninth-place finish in 1966 to, one year later, a 92-70 mark and the seventh game of the 1967 World Series.

As with all things baseball, numbers tell a big part of the story. Here are some that help define the Red Sox resurgence.

All stats are through Friday, June 28.

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