Hanley Ramirez puts away the Yankees, and AL East now in Red Sox's sights
Thanks to Hanley Ramirez, the Boston Red Sox put away the New York Yankees in resounding fashion. The American League East is next.
A club that entered September two games back in the East can put a death grip on the division beginning Monday night, when the Red Sox tip off a four-game series at Camden Yards against the Baltimore Orioles.
They hold a three-game lead against the Orioles. Best-case scenario? That lead is seven games by Thursday night.
Sound far-fetched? Well, the Red Sox hadn’t swept four games from the Yankees since 1990, and they crushed whatever wild-card dreams the Baby Bombers had left.
More specifically, Ramirez did.
He ripped a walk-off two-run homer to beat the Yankees on Thursday night, then hit two more homers Sunday night to cap a sweep in which the Red Sox won two games by one run and another by scoring five in the ninth inning.
It’s not a stretch to suggest Ramirez is the hottest hitter in baseball right now.
The Yankees? They’d have to leapfrog four teams to earn a wild-card spot. So, see you in Tampa in February, when special adviser Alex Rodriguez will greet them, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
Now, the focus shifts to Baltimore and an Orioles team that’s won eight of 15 against Boston, including two big ones last week at Fenway.
These Red Sox, however, are starting to look playoff-ready, thanks in no small part to a bullpen that could be daunting if September is truly a prelude to October.
The heaviest lifting, though, has been done by Ramirez, who was not maligned to the extent teammate Pablo Sandoval was after flopping during his first year in Boston. Still, Ramirez’s adventures in left field and meager .717 OPS gave many a fan reason to bemoan the four-year, $88 million deal that doesn’t expire until after the 2018 season.
This year, playing a capable first base, smacking 28 homers and pushing his OPS back to a robust .881, Ramirez looks far more an asset than a liability.
He’ll next take aim at the cozy dimensions of Camden Yards, in a series that starts with 20-game winner Rick Porcello taking the ball, and end with free agent prize David Price against Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman.
Fangraphs sets the Red Sox’s chances of winning the East at 86%. They now are poised to drive that number even higher, and aim to damage the Orioles the way they did the Yankees.
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Playoff primer
Days left in season: 14
Sunday's big mover: Mets. Tattered, wheezing, limping to the finish line - and now leading the NL wild card. A half-dozen pitchers teamed up on a 3-2 win over the Twins, further proof that no style points are involved when aiming to steal a wild card berth.
Sunday's big loser: Giants. Their own worst enemy - still. San Francisco splits four games with St. Louis after winning the first two, and now finds itself in real trouble (more on that in a minute).
Oh oh, it's magic: Even though they blew a late lead and lost to Arizona, the Dodgers saw their magic number trimmed to nine, thanks to the Giants' loss. And now their destiny is before them.
Tonight's can't-miss game: Giants at Dodgers, 10:10 ET. Madison Bumgarner vs. Clayton Kershaw. Not much more needs to be said, although we'd be remiss if we didn't mention that this matchup lacks far more gusto than it did at the start of the month. Still, tonight is a crucial referendum on what Playoff Kershaw might look like. And MadBum with his club's back against the wall - they're now in the second wild card slot, just a game up on the Cardinals - should be entertaining.
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