The Boston Red Sox held the top American League Wild Card spot to start the final week of August. With four series left in their season, they hold a slim 0.5-game lead in second place, behind their arch rival New York Yankees.
The Sox surely hoped to claim home field advantage for a potential Wild Card bout with the Yankees, but their focus has shifted to staying in the race in the first place. Injuries to key bats like Wilyer Abreu and Roman Anthony have taken some air out of the offense, and Boston's pitching depth has thinned with Dustin May and Richard Fitts joining Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck and Patrick Sandoval on the injured list.