Getting to be time for 2019 Red Sox to declare their intention

The early explosiveness of the 2018 Red Sox is a distant memory, with the 2019 Red Sox muddling along just better than .500 a third of the way into a potential title defense.NEW YORK — After the champagne, the Red Sox have never been much good at curing the hangover.

That’s not exclusive to them. No Major League team has repeated as champion since the 2000 Yankees, who won their third straight and fourth in five years. The Red Sox have had three opportunities since the ghosts were exorcised in 2004 to win back-to-back titles. But the headache from the previous October’s celebration always has a tendency to linger, and no elixir so far has prevented the 2019 Red Sox from being affected either.

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