Bill Koch

Wednesday

Jun 27, 2018 at 10:11 PM


BOSTON — With the season’s first half coming to a close Wednesday night, some of the chatter surrounding the Red Sox has gotten a bit louder ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.


Boston certainly figures to contend for a place in October thanks to its record and the wasteland that is the bottom of the American League. The Red Sox (53-27) sat four games ahead of the Mariners (49-31) for the first wildcard spot and 11 in front of the Athletics (42-38) for the second [...]

BOSTON — With the season’s first half coming to a close Wednesday night, some of the chatter surrounding the Red Sox has gotten a bit louder ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.

Boston certainly figures to contend for a place in October thanks to its record and the wasteland that is the bottom of the American League. The Red Sox (53-27) sat four games ahead of the Mariners (49-31) for the first wildcard spot and 11 in front of the Athletics (42-38) for the second entering Wednesday.

What Boston has planned in terms of augmenting its roster remains to be seen. Manager Alex Cora and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski are in constant communication about the team's needs — possibly another bullpen arm, perhaps another capable bat — that could help the Red Sox surge toward a third straight A.L. East title. The formidable Yankees entered Wednesday with a half-game lead over Boston, and the two teams will meet in a three-game weekend series in the Bronx beginning on Friday.

“You know what you’re doing well and what you could be doing better,” Cora said. “Honestly, most of the conversations are about the guys that are in the clubhouse. We feel that this is a good group and we can improve a lot of things with this group.”

Dombrowski added a second veteran to the Triple-A ranks at Pawtucket by announcing a minor league deal with infielder Brandon Phillips on Wednesday. The 16-year veteran turns 37 on Thursday and has been out of action since splitting 144 games between the Braves and Angels last season. Phillips spent the bulk of his time with the Reds, a three-time National League All-Star in Cincinnati who has swiped double-digit bases in 10 seasons.

Phillips joins fellow former big leaguer Adam Lind with the PawSox, with both players serving as short-term veteran insurance policies. Phillips gives Boston potential cover at second base for Dustin Pedroia (left knee inflammation), who has yet to resume baseball activities and will see his surgeon for a consult in New York this weekend. The 34-year-old Lind is stashed away should something happen to Mitch Moreland, who has been the everyday option at first base since Hanley Ramirez was designated for assignment on May 25 and ultimately released.

Vazquez producing offensively

The Red Sox catcher pendulum has swung back toward Christian Vazquez in June.

Vazquez launched a solo homer to left field as part of his two-hit night Tuesday, helping Boston to a 9-1 shelling of Los Angeles in the series opener. He’s compiled a healthy .882 OPS through his first 15 games this month, reclaiming the bulk of the playing time from Sandy Leon.

“I think both of them have benefited from that,” Cora said. “Physically it helps them, and I think competition is always good.”

Leon smashed a two-run homer in the second inning on Wednesday, his first since May 29.

“Behind the plate, Sandy’s been consistent the whole season,” Cora said. “Christian lately has been a lot cleaner, even presenting pitches.”

Workmanlike effort

The significance of the 1-2-3 eighth inning tossed by Brandon Workman on Tuesday went beyond the box score.

The Red Sox right-handed reliever threw his two hardest pitches of the season, a pair of fastballs that comfortably exceeded his 90.7 mph average. Workman buzzed a 93.6-mph heater past a swinging Mike Trout for the first out and turned loose a 95-mph fastball in an at-bat where Kole Calhoun flew to center.

“The most important thing is to maintain that velocity,” Cora said.

Workman underwent Tommy John surgery in 2015, part of a two-year stint in which he didn’t throw a big league inning. He made 33 appearances with Boston last season and was sent to Pawtucket out of spring training in March. Workman has posted eight scoreless appearances among the nine he’s made since his June 5 recall.

“Now you can see the confidence,” Cora said. “He’s been good for us. He’s given us some big outs in certain situations.”

— bkoch@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @BillKoch25