Fresh off a four-game sweep of the New York Yankees last weekend, the Boston Red Sox felt they had tangible momentum to go on the run that Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow continues to say he believes is coming. With one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball coming into town in the Washington Nationals, the Red Sox were unable to capitalize on their newfound momentum, dropping the final two to Washington. Overall, the Red Sox finished their seven-game homestand 5-2, but can the stretch really be called a success? 

Not only did the Red Sox complete a four-game sweep of their arch-rival from New York, but they also won all four games in the fashion they were built to win, on the strength of strong pitching. 

In the four games against the Yankees, Red Sox starters combined for 26.2 innings, allowing only three earned runs on 10 hits. Three of the four Boston starters carried no-hitters into at least the fifth inning with Sunday’s starter Sonny Gray carrying his hitless bid into the eighth inning. 

The pitcher’s performance against the Yankees was the crowning moment in a ridiculous run of 12 straight quality starts, the second-longest run in franchise history. That run only ended when Connelly Early departed Tuesday night’s start with left elbow discomfort. 

Not only did the pitching stand tall, but the Boston offense also capitalized on its opportunities, getting timely hits when it needed them most. 

Then, of course, there was the dramatic finish to Sunday Night Baseball as the Red Sox rallied from down two in extras, scoring three in the bottom of the 10th to walk it off, 5-4. If the Red Sox were going to go on a run and rip off 10 wins in 12 games, that series against the Yankees. and how you were able to finish off the sweep. seemed as good a catapult as any. 

The Red Sox carried that high from the walk-off into Monday’s series opener against Washington, jumping all over Nationals starter Miles Mikolas for six runs in the first three innings en route to a 6-3 win, stretching their season-long winning streak to five. 

You can skip the bad and go right to the ugly: those first three innings were the last thing Boston could feel good about on the homestand, as the entire tenor of the stint shifted in the fourth inning of Tuesday night’s loss. 

“I remember the fourth inning [on Tuesday] starting and just thinking maybe this really is a point at which they can string together some W's,” WBZ and WEEI pre- and postgame host Joe Weil said on the Entering Kenmore Podcast. “And then you see Danny Coloumbe warming up; that, to me, was the moment of bringing it back down to reality. He's warming up because there's definitely an injury to Connelly Early, and this team needed a two- or three-week stretch where everything was swinging their way. The unfortunate thing is, after Wednesday’s game, especially, it’s 'yeah, no, this team is still pretty out of it,” he continued. 

Things continued to spiral for Boston after Early's injury, as the most consistent lineup presence, Willson Contreras, was ejected for the second straight game and now faces a seven-game suspension after getting into an on-field altercation with Washington starter Cade Cavalli. Also, Early was placed on the 15-day injured list with left elbow discomfort ahead of Wednesday afternoon’s series finale. 

The Boston bats were also silenced by a Washington staff that entered the series with the fourth-highest ERA in baseball, being outscored by the Nationals 18-3 in the final 24 innings of the series. 

"No matter how bad the season is going, you want to beat the Yankees, and they did sweep them," said Weil. "[But], they're kind of back to where they were, unfortunately, and I think we know for certain where this team is at," he concluded. 

The series against Washington was a great opportunity to spring Boston into a 12-2 stretch that would be necessary to get back into the race; instead, they were unable to capitalize on the opportunity against one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball and lost all the momentum and goodwill built from the weekend sweep of New York.

The Red Sox entered Thursday’s series opener against the Yankees only five games back of the final wild card spot and finished the homestand six and a half games back despite going 5-2. 

Be sure to check out the full discussion with Weil discussing the Red Sox' approach to the trade deadline, Breslow's roster construction, and more:

The Red Sox will look to rebuild the momentum they lost against Washington when they take on the Los Angeles Angels to kick off a nine-game road trip heading into the All-Star break. Jake Bennett (2-3, 3.27 ERA) will get the start for Boston opposite Reid Detmers (3-5, 3.88 ERA) for Los Angeles. First pitch from Angel Stadium set for 9:38 p.m. ET. 

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