COMMENTARY

The standings continue to show the Red Sox in a virtual tie with the Yankees atop the American League East, and still on pace for a 107-win season – yet after being blown out twice in a three-game series, Boston leaves the Bronx licking its wounds.

Next it’s on to Washington for a series against the underperforming Nationals, and as they collectively prepare to face reigning National League Cy Young winner Max Scherzer, here’s a look at how the Sox individually stack up at this point with the weekly power rankings:

30. Justin Haley (Not ranked last week) – The right-handed reliever has done respectable work, but his role in the Red Sox bullpen is best illustrated by noting that on his most recent recall his three appearances have all come in games decided by at least seven runs. At this point he’s a mop-up man.


29. Dustin Pedroia (24 last week) – At this point the short-term goal for the veteran second baseman is feeling good on consecutive days. He’s staying behind in New York for treatment on his left knee as the rest of the team moves on to Washington. It’s increasingly looking like any meaningful contribution from Pedroia this season will be a bonus.

28. Brandon Phillips (NR) – The Sox signed the 37-year-old former All-Star this week, and for now he’s working at both second and third base in the minors. Phillips was an above-average player in 604 plate appearances last season, so this is a no-risk flyer worth taking for a Boston team that could use depth in the infield.

27. Blake Swihart (27) – He played left field in a 9-1 game, catcher in an 11-0 game, and second base in an 11-1 game. Swihart’s presence on the roster remains a mystery – though one that may soon be resolved, as rumors swirl that the Sox are finally looking to trade their former first-round pick.

26. Steven Wright (15) – Wright has quickly gone from seeming to have re-earned a spot in the rotation, to getting shelled, to questions about whether he’ll be back on the mound anytime soon. Fourteen months after having its cartilage restored by surgery, his left knee is inflamed again, and Wright’s reliability is in doubt.


25. Tyler Thornburg (28) – At long last, the righty reliever is expected to be promoted to Boston. His rehab assignment expires Wednesday, but Thornburg’s ERA at Triple-A is 4.26 in 15 appearances so he’ll need to earn his way into high-leverage responsibilities.

24. Brandon Workman (25) – Opposing hitters were 0-for-9 with a walk and three strikeouts against Workman this week, and for the first time he pitched in a game with the Red Sox leading by fewer than five runs. His 0.82 ERA suggests more such opportunities could be in store.

23. Hector Velasquez (22) – He’s 6-0 on the season after backing up Brian Johnson’s start with two scoreless innings against the Angels – however, he had a rough inning against the Yankees on Sunday, and has now allowed multiple runs in three of his last five appearances.

22. Eduardo Nunez (18) – Entering Sunday, his .283 on-base percentage was 10th-lowest among American League qualifiers, and worst among the Red Sox.

21. Brian Johnson (23) – He earned himself another start with four solid innings against the Angels after Wright went to the DL. The manager said he could go five innings in his next outing, but after that it’s likely back to the bullpen, where he was generally effective throughout June.

20. Brock Holt (14) – He’s 0-for-10 in his past three starts, though the Sox roster is at its best when Holt is in the role of super-sub. It’ll be interesting to see how Holt fits if and when Phillips joins the big-league club.

19. Sandy Leon (17) – The catcher is 5-for-9 in his past three games, with two homers, two doubles, five RBI and four runs scored. Plus, the Sox have won each of his past four starts behind the plate.


18. Heath Hembree (19) – Allowing one hit in 10.2 innings in June, and finishing the month with five hitless and scoreless appearances, Hembree could be on the cusp of taking over some of the higher-leverage, lead-protecting chances that have been going to Joe Kelly.

17. Jackie Bradley Jr. (20) – He’s still hitting below .200 for the season, but Bradley has reached base in seven straight contests. That streak including a couple of timely home runs, it was a good week for JBJ from a results perspective.

16. Christian Vazquez (16) – Vazquez was behind the plate for both of the Sox’ blowout losses in the Bronx this weekend, and as a batter he went 0-for-6 in those contests. Still, Vazquez hit .298 with an .860 OPS in June to justify his grasp on the distinction of Boston’s No. 1 catcher.

15. Steve Pearce (NR) – Pearce’s potential importance as a right-handed bat was evident when the Sox traded for him and less than 24 hours later slotted him as their cleanup hitter at Yankee Stadium against CC Sabathia. He responded by going 2-for-4, and could serve an important role moving forward (at a fraction of the price of Hanley Ramirez).

14. Drew Pomeranz (21) – He didn’t pitch more than a two-inning simulated game, but this week Pomeranz still soared in importance to the Red Sox due to the poor performances of Eduardo Rodriguez and David Price, and the uncertainty regarding Wright. Pomeranz is slated to make a rehab start for Pawtucket on Monday, with Boston needing him back – and effective – in an increasingly bad way.

13. Eduardo Rodriguez (13) – It seems as though every season there’s a juncture at which Rodriguez has a chance to affirm his progress to another level – and proceeds to issue a reminder of his mediocrity. That’s come over the past two outings, which have seen him yield nine earned runs and 18 baserunners over 10 innings, his ERA jumping from 3.59 to 4.11 in the process.

12. David Price (9) – Imagine this scenario: The Red Sox lose the division to the Yankees, who finish with the AL’s best record. Chris Sale pitches Boston through the wild-card game, but then it’s onto the Bronx for the division series, with the opener likely being a rematch of Sunday night – Luis Severino vs. Price. Sox fans like their chances with a lefty who owns an 18.69 ERA against the Yanks this year, and a 4.28 ERA overall?

11. Mitch Moreland (7) – Moreland went 4-for-24 over the past week, and since May 25 (the day Ramirez was designated for assignment) his OPS has dropped 140 points. At .889 he’s still the best in the AL among qualifying first baseman in that category, though with Pearce on board Moreland figures to find himself in more of a platoon moving forward.

10. Joe Kelly (10) – Kelly finished May with a 0.63 ERA, a 0.698 WHIP, and 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings. He finished June with an 8.31 ERA, a 2.077 WHIP, and 6.2 strikeouts per nine. Forget the Jim Buchanan persona; that performance takes looking like a completely different person to a whole other level.

9. Rafael Devers (12) – The young third baseman entered Sunday’s game with his OPS (.741) as high as it’s been since May 12, which was aided by two homers, three doubles, and a 5-for-5 showcase that included a grand slam. He slugged at a .510 clip for June, good for third on the team.

8. Matt Barnes (11) – He’s emerged as Boston’s most dependable setup man, evidenced most recently when he entered with two on in the seventh inning of a wild game against the Angels and shut things down with three strikeouts in an inning of work. Barnes looks like the bridge to Craig Kimbrel at this point.

7. Xander Bogaerts (8) – The shortstop doubled in four straight games this week, and entering Monday now sits eighth in the AL with 23 two-baggers – yet Bogaerts wasn’t especially productive over that span, scoring only twice and failing to knock in a run.

6. Rick Porcello (5) – The righty gave away most of a six-run lead in his latest start, yielding a pair of home runs among eight hits over 5.2 innings. With Boston needing someone in the rotation to establish himself as its No. 2 starter, that wasn’t the type of performance Cora was looking for from Porcello.

5. Andrew Benintendi (6) – The left fielder has cooled since his torrid stretch that carried into the middle of June. With four steals in his past five games he has still found a way to contribute, but the Sox could use more from than 6-for-32 from one of their table-setters.

4. Craig Kimbrel (4) – After pitching just once in 13 days, the closer came on in the eighth inning to not save No. 23, then impressively returned the next night to pick up No. 24. The ability to get back on the mound a day after throwing 28 pitches is the type of endurance that’ll be required in the postseason, so that back-to-back against the Angels was an encouraging (if low-stakes) mid-season test.

3. Mookie Betts (3) – The MVP-level productivity has slowed since Betts returned from the DL, his first 17 games including just three homers and four RBI – yet the Sox star has in that same stretch reached base in 25 of 52 plate appearances (.481), lifting his season-long OBP to .430, which is second in the AL. It has also helped him continue to lead the league in both average (.339) and OPS (1.103).

2. J.D. Martinez (1) – When it seems like Martinez has had a relatively quiet week, and that week still includes a .910 OPS, three multi-hit games, and a couple of homers, it’s a reminder of just how good this guy has been for the first half of his inaugural season with the Sox.

1. Chris Sale (2) – Sandwiching his Saturday masterpiece between a pair of disappointments highlights how critical Sale’s presence is to the Boston pitching staff. With 11 strikeouts over seven one-hit, shutout frames, the ace takes into his next start a 15-inning scoreless streak during which he’s struck out 25. And at this point, no one holds more importance to the hopes of the Red Sox.