The Red Sox have officially reached the "Dog Days'' portion of the schedule.
It's August and there's wear-and-tear from the first two-thirds of the season. There are some off-days, true, but the Sox are also facing two doubleheaders in the next two weeks, putting additional stress on the roster, especially the pitching staff.
Add in the fact that pitchers everywhere are coming off a pandemic-shortened season from a year ago, and there's uncertainty about where all of this is headed. Will pitchers push through some fatigue, or succumb to a workload to which they haven't been exposed to since 2019?
The offense needs improvement with just 18 runs scored in the last seven games, but from a pitching standpoint, the view is better. Fortunately for the Red Sox, help is available. Even as the current starting rotation sputters in the second half, with a 7.47 ERA in the last 10 games, the organization has accumulated some valuable depth -- both for the rotation and the bullpen -- in the system to provide reinforcements.
A look at the options, in descending order of importance, that could contribute soon and in a significant way.
1. Chris Sale.
The tall lefty, of course, is the most valuable piece of all. The Red Sox passed on acquiring a veteran starter at last months' trade deadline, knowing that the impending return of Sale to the rotation was a bigger acquisition than almost any starter available on the market with the possible exception of Max Scherzer.
In four rehab appearances -- admittedly, against some severely overmatched competition -- Sale has struck out 27 and walked two in 15.1 innings of work. He won't continue that level of dominance against major league hitters, of course, and the fact that he's allowed almost a hit per inning against minor leaguers is a reminder that there's progress to be made.
Sale is likely to experience at least some difficulties with his command and when he's not precise with his location, he's bound to be hit around a little bit. It will be a while before he's got the proper finish on his breaking pitches and that could show in the results against him.
Still, the Sox can't help but be excited at the prospect of his return. He starts Saturday for Triple A Worcester, and barring any unforeseen development or physical setback, could slot into the Boston rotation as soon as next Thursday against Tampa Bay, two years to the day since his last major league appearance. Talk about kismet.
Sale's return comes at a time when a number of Red Sox starters are running on fumes. Garrett Richards, for all his adjustments, has a 7.46 ERA since mid-June and opposing hitters are mashing .327 against him. Going from Richards to Sale is a significant upgrade for 20 percent of the team's rotation.
The Red Sox have said -- more often than I care to count -- that activating Sale will be the equivalent of a big trade deadline addition. It's a cliche, yes. But it's also undeniably true.
2. Tanner Houck.
Through an arm injury earlier in the season to a couple of spot starts over the last few weeks, Houck has patiently bided his time. But at this point in the season, it would seem his time is now.
Houck, who has been with the team on its current road as part of the team's reserve taxi squad, will start the second game of Saturday's doubleheader in Toronto. How he fits in after that is to be determined, but it would seem that there's a more permanent role for him to play on the big league staff.
Whether Houck bumps somebody from the current rotation -- Richards make his next scheduled start Sunday, the day after Houck is scheduled to pitch -- or gets added to the bullpen to serve as a multi-inning reliever, similar to the way the club has utilized rookie Garrett Whitlock -- he's positioned to offer the team some volume work.
That's especially welcome given that the starters have given the team five or more innings just twice in the previous nine games before Thursday. Over time, that can lead to some burnout for relievers asked to cover more than their share of innings.
In part because of the time missed earlier this season with a flexor strain, Houck's innings total is modest - between the big leagues and Triple A, he's thrown just 43 innings. That should mean he can be turned loose over the final two months, either as a regular starter or a hybrid arm splitting time between the bullpen and rotation.
3. Ryan Brasier.
Until recently, the Red Sox seemed to be ready to chalk up 2021 as a completely lost season for the reliever. His season was interrupted by first an injury prior to spring training, then a death in the family. Next came a calf strain at the end of spring that sidelined him further. Finally, there was a horrific incident in early June when Brasier was struck in the side of the head by a line drive while throwing his final simulated game and preparing to begin a rehab assignment.
But Brasier has made great progress in recent weeks. On Wednesday, he threw his first live batting practice session since being felled by a comebacker and did so without a protective "L'' screen. Brasier passed that big test easily, and didn't flinch as hitters swung away at his pitches.
He's set for one more BP session, and then is lined up to begin what should be some brief rehab appearances. (Unlike Sale, Brasier doesn't have to build up nearly as much, since he won't be asked to get more than three or four outs when he returns). At a time when important high-leverage set-up relievers like Adam Ottavino, Josh Taylor and Hirokazu Sawamura are piling up the work, his return in, say, two weeks or so, could be similarly well-timed.
If Brandon Workman couldn't recapture the magic of his 2018-2019 seasons, maybe Brasier will.
4. Connor Seabold.
Like Houck, Seabold had been counted on to augment the staff at some point during the season, but missed out when he, too, was sidelined with an injury (elbow inflammation).
But Seabold is healthy again and was dazzling the other night with Worcester, allowing just one hit over six scoreless innings while striking out 10 and walking just one.
Seabold has never pitched at the big league level, so there's no telling for certain how well his stuff will translate when he faces major league hitters. But it's worth recalling that, when the Sox made the trade to acquire him at the 2020 deadline, that most evaluators saw his ceiling as considerably higher than that of Nick Pivetta, with a chance to contribute as a No. 3 starter in time. Nothing he's shown in the minors this season (20 innings, 15 hits allowed, 28-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio) has seemed to dispute that projection.
It's doubtful that Seabold will get many (if any) starts for Boston, unless he's lines up logically for the day-nighter in New York in another couple of weeks. But at the very least, he's a fresh, powerful arm who could join Whitlock and Houck to provide length out of the bullpen.