Kevin McNamara: Sox-Yanks battle saving this season

It’s sure been a heck of a baseball season so far in Boston and the Bronx. Elsewhere? These are not good times for the grand old game.

Actually it’s hats off to the world champion Houston Astros and neither the Red Sox nor Yankees should relish facing the aging, yet ever-crafty King Felix Hernandez and Seattle in a do-or-die, play-in game. Over in the National League, the Brewers and Cubs look pretty good but no one appears to be on the level with the [...]

It’s sure been a heck of a baseball season so far in Boston and the Bronx. Elsewhere? These are not good times for the grand old game.

Actually it’s hats off to the world champion Houston Astros and neither the Red Sox nor Yankees should relish facing the aging, yet ever-crafty King Felix Hernandez and Seattle in a do-or-die, play-in game. Over in the National League, the Brewers and Cubs look pretty good but no one appears to be on the level with the power clubs of the junior circuit.

The Red Sox and Yankees are locked in a Eastern Division race to remember. The excitement, and energy, surrounding any game pitting two teams playing at a nearly .700 (!) clip is totally different than any other contest versus the Rangers, Blue Jays, Tigers. The long list of American League pretenders is making this baseball season tough to embrace. Line up the Yankees, Astros, Mariners or the Indians against the Red Sox and NESN ratings pop. If the Royals, Twins or Orioles are on tap, prepare for a summer’s evening with next to no suspense.

If you’re a fan of mercy killings, the Red Sox are your team. Leave the tension and drama to some other hardball nine. Your Sox jump on the weak, pound them into the turf in the early innings and leave plenty of room for their questionable bullpen to shut the door.

Consider that after a bizarre three-game series in New York in which the Sox lost twice by a cumulative 19-2 difference, Alex Cora’s crew reverted to form. Boston went on the road and swept the Washington Nationals by a combined 18-7 over three games and just dusted Kansas City three times by a 32-13 count. With J.D. Martinez and Mookie Betts leading the way, the Sox are pounding soft teams like some beer-guzzling men's softball crew. Entering a series against the pitiful Rangers (40-51) back at Fenway Park on Monday night, the Red Sox were riding a 10-game winning streak (and 12-of-13 overall) against foes not named the New York Yankees.

The lack of competition around the American League is actually quite stunning. Five teams are already buried by 20 or more games in their division races. That includes the Royals (25-64), who won the World Series as recently as 2015. And hide your eyes when watching the once-proud Baltimore Orioles. It’s not even the All-Star break and the O’s are a mind-boggling 37 games out of first place. Where have you gone Brooks Robinson?

Thinking of the good old days, if you appreciate the intrinsic value of hit-and-runs, taking a pitch the opposite way or stolen bases, you won’t recognize the game much anymore. Now the analytics-dominated stat geeks populating too many front offices dismiss the absurd number of strikeouts in the game and obsess over launch angles and swing planes. Those concepts used to be embraced by Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, not Martinez and Aaron Judge.

The problem is not enough hitters are launching anything but hot air. Only seven of 15 American League teams have more hits than strikeouts. In the N.L. only the Cubs, Reds, Braves and Pirates have more hits than K’s. This is a dangerous recipe that’s leading to boring, longer games in too many ballparks across the country.

The good news is this is not the case in Boston. While too many offenses stumble and bumble over themselves, the Red Sox currently lead all of baseball in runs, hits, average, RBI, total bases and OPS (on base plus slugging). Only the Yankees, thanks to Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks and others, top the Sox in homers.

The offensive show has been dominant and impressive. It’s landed Martinez, Mookie Betts and Mitch Moreland tickets to next week’s All-Star Game. Pitchers Chris Sale and Craig Kimbrel will be in Washington, D.C., as well.

They've helped lead the Sox to 61 wins in their first 90 games for only the fourth time in the franchise's 118-year history. They did the same in 1978, 1946 and 1912. Things didn’t end well in '78 (Bucky Dent) or '46 (Pesky holds the ball) but a World Series flag was raised following the first year the team played in its brand new Fenway Park.

This team will play 15 of its final 21 games at Fenway, including the final three versus the Yankees. This stirring race is more than likely going to last until that fateful weekend but if there is any justice, the two rivals will meet up in a American League Championship Series for the ages.

Baseball, after all, needs all the help it can get.

-- kmcnamar@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @KevinMcNamara33