State Of Red Sox: Where Things Stand After 82 Games

The word of the year for the Boston Red Sox is inconsistency.

There have been times in which the Red Sox have looked like one of the top potential contenders in the American League. There have been others in which the opposite could be said. The last couple of weeks are a perfect example of this. Boston swept the New York Yankees -- before trading Rafael Devers. Then took two out of three games from the Seattle Mariners. They scratched and clawed their way above .500 but now have lost five games in a row, including a three-game sweep by the Los Angeles Angels.

The Red Sox have dealt with serious injuries. For example, Alex Bregman and Tanner Houck are out right now and Triston Casas and Kutter Crawford are seemingly done for the year. Losing key pieces like these guys certainly have added to the inconsistency of the team overall, plus the trade of Devers.

So, where do things stand right now for Boston?

Record: 40-42
AL East Standings: Fourth place in the American League East (seven games back of first place)
AL Wild Card Standings: Seventh in the AL Wild Card standings, 2 1/2 games back of the No. 3 spot
MVP: Garrett Crochet. If Bregman hadn't gotten hurt, there's an argument that he could be the MVP, but Crochet has just been incredible. He has a 2.06 ERA in 17 starts to go along with a league-leading 135 strikeouts and 109 1/3 innings pitched.
Biggest Surprise: Carlos Narváez. He was expected to be the backup catcher but has firmly taken hold of the No. 1 spot as a rookie. Overall, he has been one of Boston's most consistent hitters this season.