With so much still unknown about 108-win team, Red Sox' October fate is uncertain

You might think that, after covering the 2018 Red Sox since Day 1 of spring training, all the way through a six-month, 162-game season, I would have a pretty good idea about what to expect from this team as the postseason gets underway Friday night.

Think again.

The truth is, the ultimate destination for this team's playoff run is unknown. They could get hot, steamroll opponents the way they often did during the course of the season, and wind up as 2013 world champions.

Or, they could get knocked off in the Division Series for the third straight October, sent home just as things are getting interested.

Frankly, neither would surprise me.

That's how much uncertainty surrounds this edition. It's a commentary about the unpredictability of baseball's post-season, about the parity that exists in the game and the presence of two other 100-win teams in their own league.

And, yes, it's a commentary about, after all these months and all these games, how little we know about this Red Sox team.

Are they paper tigers, a product of a top-heavy American League, fattening up on the likes of the Orioles and Blue Jays (combined Red Sox record against: 31-7), while compiling a losing record (18-21) against the other four playoff teams?

Or are they deserving of their status as No. 1 seed, having played .600 ball in each of the six months, claiming first place in East on July 2 and never letting go?

The next few weeks -- or next few days -- will tell us the answer.

This much is certain: the Red Sox are a much better offensive team than the one which was unceremoniously outclassed by the Houston Astros last October. They led the American League in runs scored -- and a host of other categories, from OPS to slugging percentage - and went from dead last in the American League in homers to a far more respectable sixth-place showing, largely because of the acquisition of J.D. Martinez.

Martinez nearly won the A.L. Triple Crown and gave the Red Sox the dynamic, middle-of-the-order hitter they so clearly needed a year ago in the wake of David Ortiz's retirement.

The outfield defense is elite, the baserunning much improved and the mood around the team far lighter than last season. The lineup seemed to thrive in scoring opportunities, with an MLB-best .872 OPS with runners in scoring position.

But questions -- most of them center around the pitching staff -- remain.

Although the Red Sox got strong work from their rotation during the season, finishing fourth in the A.L. in ERA and four starters reached double-figures in wins, the forecast is murky for October.

Between Chris Sale, David Price and Rick Porcello, the team's Big Three, the Sox have zero career post-season wins and a combined 6.18 ERA.

Ordinarily, Sale would give the Red Sox a huge advantage in any playoff series. He's been the best lefty in the American League the last two seasons and arguably, the best starter overall. But questions surround both his health and mechanics as the playoffs begin.

Sale has pitched just 17 innings since July 27 and as he rebuilt arm strength and ramped up his workload down the stretch, his velocity dipped instead of surged. Sale maintained that he was past the mild shoulder inflammation that has limited him the last two months, but the subtext seemed to suggest: "And even if I'm not, I'll go out and compete and make no excuses.''

That's not exactly inspiring.

Neither is the performance of the bullpen. While Craig Kimbrel is a lockdown closer, the rest of the relievers don't inspire nearly as much confidence: Matt Barnes, who couldn't crack the post-season roster a year ago, has battled a hip injury and wasn't as effective in the final two months; Ryan Brasier, one of the season's best stories, has 33.2 innings of major league experience in the last five years; Joe Kelly, unhittable for the first two months before dive-bombing through the last four, couldn't be beaten out for a postseason roster spot.

Much is made about the post-season being a long grind, one that can potentially last almost a month, but for the Red Sox, a lot is riding on Game 1 Friday night. Should Sale shake the rust, become dominant again and get the Sox off to their first series lead since 2013, the Sox might just ride that momentum to the end of October.

If, however, he stumbles, the Red Sox could immediately cede the home field advantage they worked the previous 162 games to attain, invite questions about their postseason suitability and be done by Monday night.

Could they win it all? Sure. They clearly were the best team over a six-month slog.

Could they get bounced in the first round? You bet. Forget the standings, as there's clearly not much difference in talent between the Sox and the rival Yankees.

Champs or chumps - it could go either way.

Buckle up.