Red Sox’s Playoff Push Will Ride Or Die On Shoulder Of Key Player, Insider Says

As the Boston Red Sox get ready to return from the All-Star break, it’s a good time to look into the crystal ball and forecast the second half of the season.

The Red Sox are riding high amid their season-best 10-game winning streak, which has put the club squarely in the mix for the American League East division title. Boston is just three games behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays.

An American League wild card also remains a possibility for the Red Sox, who currently own the No. 2 spot in those standings.

Whether the Red Sox reach the postseason will be based on one key player, according to MLB.com’s Ian Browne: left-hander Garrett Crochet.

“Crochet is probably the most important player on the Red Sox the rest of the way,” Browne wrote Wednesday. “He logged a career high of 146 innings in his first season as a Major League starter last year and comes into the break at 129 1/3.

“How well he holds up will likely have the biggest impact on how far the Red Sox can go this season,” Crochet concluded.

Crochet entered the All-Star break with a record of 10-4 in 20 starts. His 2.23 ERA is the best in the American League and he leads the majors in strikeouts (160) and innings pitched (129 1/3).

The 26-year-old southpaw is a legitimate threat for the American League Cy Young Award, which right now would come down to Crochet and Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, who’s looking to win back-to-back Cy Youngs.

The last Red Sox pitcher to win the Cy Young Award was Rick Porcello in 2016.

As for Crochet, he will open his second half of the season on Sunday in the final game of a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Lucas Giolito will get the ball Friday followed by Brayan Bello on Saturday.