The All-Star break is a brief one -- especially for the Red Sox -- who get right back to work Thursday night with the start of a big four-game series against the Yankees in New York.
The Red Sox head into the second half of the season with a slim lead in the American League, and plenty of unanswered questions.
Here are five of them:
1. Can the rotation hold up?
Toward the end of the first half, there were some signs of distress from the rotation. Only once in the final turn through the rotation did a starter get an out in the sixth inning and collectively, they racked up a 7.33 ERA.
Was that an aberration, or a sign that the workload is catching up with the five-man group? It was impressive that the five started 89 of the first 91 games, but will that catch up to them in the final two and a half months of the season? Already, each one has easily surpassed last year's innings total, in some cases, the last several seasons.
The team has arranged its second-half rotation to provide maximum rest for the rotation and there are indications that Tanner Houck could be inserted into the rotation in the second series, providing yet another extra day of rest as the Sox embark on a stretch that has them playing 18 days in a row without a day off.
Houck could help, and in time, so, too, will Chris Sale. But Sale's return is probably a month away and that's assuming no setbacks along the way -- hardly a given.
Add in the injury histories of Nathan Eovaldi, Garrett Richards and Eduardo Rodriguez -- none of whom have been very durable in their careers -- and the rotation becomes something of a crapshoot.
To date, the rotation has been competent, keeping the Red Sox in the vast majority of games, buying time for the lineup to carry the day while being ably served by the bullpen. If that continues, the Sox will likely win the division; if it doesn't, their path to the postseason becomes that much harder.
2. How much help will come from within?
We expect that Houck will contribute -- either as an occasional spot starter or perhaps in a multi-inning, piggyback role. Sale could be ready to take a turn by early August -- again, assuming to interruptions due to health arise.
Less clear is what version of Sale is going to show up. For many pitchers returning from Tommy John surgery, there's a period of adjustment. Sale will be facing hitters in a major league setting for the first time in 24 months. That's a lot of time away.
And then there's the physical limitations. Many pitchers aren't really themselves until the following year, after which they've had a full offseason to recover.
"I don't know, truthfully,'' acknowledged pitching coach Dave Bush. "So far, his stuff has been really good. I haven't seen him in game situations yet, but based on where he is right now, I feel really good about what he's doing. He feels really strong. He has put a lot of effort into making sure his whole body is ready for this. The shoulder's stronger, his elbow's going through the healing process. He's focused a lot of mobility and flexibility and making sure that his body is ready to handle pitching when he comes back.
"So from that standpoint, I think we're going to get really good stuff out of him. Look, maybe he's going to be rusty. He hasn't pitched in almost two years. Sure, it's not always going to be smooth and perfect. But I do think that when he comes back, he's going to have really good stuff and he's going to be as close as he can be to his old self. Again, knowing that it's not going to be perfectly clean.''
3. How aggressive will the team be at the July 30 deadline?
Now that the amateur draft is complete, expect trade talk to intensity across the industry. As recently as last weekend, one major league talent evaluator cautioned that the Sox weren't inclined to do anything major -- not because the team is perfect as is, but because the team is wary of disrupting the rebuilding that's taken place in the minor league system for one kick at the can this fall.
As currently constituted, there are no gaping holes. Yes, the rotation could use some reinforcement. But starting pitching is always the most expensive variable on the trade market. And, really, how much of an upgrade would, say, Jon Gray or his ilk be?
A left-handed-hitting first baseman to platoon with Bobby Dalbec would be a nice addition, but given the way the offense has performed -- second in the American League in runs scored -- how big a need is that?
Finally, there's the bullpen, which annually is the default area contending teams seek to upgrade. No doubt the Red Sox will be among those this summer. Whether they go for a high-profile, back-end arm (Craig Kimbrel, Richard Rodriguez) or a more complementary part remains to be seen.
4. How will the Red Sox survive what the schedule has in store?
Starting Thursday and continuing for a period of 29 days, the Red Sox will play 27 games. Of those 24 will be against the Yankees (eight games), Blue Jays (10 games) and Rays (six games).
That's a demanding stretch and will likely come with the Sox being without two depth pieces -- Danny Santana is already on the IL with a quad strain and Marwin Gonzalez came out of Sunday's game having aggravated a hamstring and Alex Cora said it was likely an IL stint is forthcoming. Neither Santana nor Gonzalez has contributed much at all offensively, but they are versatile and being without them at a time when they're going to be playing for two and a half weeks straight could be a hindrance.
The Sox lead has been shaved to just 1.5 games at the break, so there's not a lot of wiggle room in the A.L. East race. That's not to suggest that the next month represents a do-or-die stretch for the Sox. There will still be almost seven weeks remaining when that 27-game run is over. It's unlikely that run will bury the Sox, even if they don't play as well as they'd like.
But it does present them with an opportunity. If the Sox can continue to dominate the Yankees (6-0 so far this season), they can make it very, very hard for the Yankees to get back into the division race. The same goes for Toronto.
In other words, the Sox can make things a lot easier on themselves if they could go, say, 17-10 in the next four weeks.
5. Are there any worries about regression for individual players?
The players most at risk of experiencing a second-half dropoff are the ones without much of a track record, or those who might have some red flags attached to their performance.
The former would include rookie Garrett Whitlock and starter Nick Pivetta. Whitlock has never pitched at the big league level before and is not far removed from Tommy John, so the Sox will have to monitor him closely -- tempted as they might be to lean on him in the second half, given his standout performance in the first half. As for Pivetta, he's closing in on 100 innings, a milestone he's exceeded only twice in his career and not since 2018.
Then there's closer Matt Barnes, who has a history of wearing down in the second half of seasons. In his career, Barnes owns a 3.44 ERA in the first half of seasons....and 4.72 ERA after the All-Star break.
Barnes was used in 38 games in the first half, not an outlandish total for a closer. But it will incumbent upon Cora to be mindful of his closer's history and manage his usage accordingly.