Lousy starting pitching, devastating injuries, questionable managerial decisions—all have conspired to place obstacles in the way of your
2016 Carmine Hose. Despite all of that (and more), Boston sits just two games off the pace in the American League East at the
All-Star Break—with seven more wins than they had at this point in 2015. By any measure, this is very good news. Having missed the playoffs in three of the last four years, it's at least
plausible that the Red Sox can make the October 'tournament'. Of course, the main reason for their favorable position is a torrid offense—fueled by a ridiculous final year by
David Ortiz and the maturation of
The Killer Bees (
Xander Bogaerts,
Mookie Betts,
Jackie Bradley, Jr.). Throw in a solid year from
Dustin Pedroia and you have the makings of a team that could be tough to handle in the post-season. Assuming, of course, that
Dave Dombrowski gets the one or two reliable starters we need to add to this rotation. The blueprint is there to be followed. Let's do it.
