The Boston Red Sox getting a much-needed 10-7 win over Toronto on Wednesday was a much-needed relief for the team as they try to win the American League East. But their bigger concern at the moment is getting right fielder Mookie Betts healthy for the playoffs.

Betts whose wrist has been acting up on him gave some positive news after the big win claiming he could be ready for Thursday’s game.

“I’ll come in and it should be OK,” Betts said. “I should be able to go tomorrow.”

With four games remaining it is important to get Betts back in the lineup to keep him in baseball rhythm. Wrists can be a tricky injury and one Red Sox fans are weary of and for a good reason. Second Basemen Dustin Pedroia dealt with a wrist injury for several seasons and didn’t look right till it was fixed.

Betts, however, seems to be a different case with the all-star being available to pinch hit on Wednesday night and play in the field on Thursday. John Farrell declined to use him in a pinch-hitting situation in the 10-7 win but knowing he could have done so is a relief to the organization.

The important thing though is making sure everything is good before rushing him back on the field even with the stakes being high.

“It felt good today. It felt a lot better,” Betts said. “Got some treatment on it and whatnot. Just have to come in and get it back going again.” He added, “I should be OK for tomorrow, but I still want to come in and make sure everything is good before we go back out there.”

Boston will start on Thursday their final series of the year with a four-game set at home against Houston to end the regular season.

The Boston Red Sox lost to the Toronto Blue Jays 6-4 on Monday night. The loss itself has to be disappointing for a team trying to lock up the AL East with the New York Yankees continuing to win ballgames. But the real loss here is the injuries and lack of velocity from starter Drew Pomeranz.

Pomeranz went 2 innings and his velocity was down. His velocity has been down for the last two starts with Monday’s outing being even slower with his fastball. It could be the innings piling up with the starter having a career high in innings this season.

He explained away the velocity questions after the game though. Pomeranz said he only threw two-seamers as his fastball on Monday and wasn’t planning on reaching back for higher velocity until later in the ball game. He claimed it has nothing to do with wear and tear and instead was simply a strategic move.

“I feel fine,” said Pomeranz. “I came out early and was throwing some two-seams a little slower and was trying to get some swings on them. I was missing. They had one big inning and the weird play there, where the ball kind of spun sideways on us, and I probably should’ve gotten over there and been waiting for it at the base. Then I was out of the game.”

It could have been a strategy but his fastball velocity sat around 92 mph in August and is down to 90 mph in September. For the Red Sox they are aware of the innings build up on Pomeranz and plan to monitor him going forward. Manager John Farrell also wouldn’t rule out creating extra rest for the reliever turned starter ahead of the postseason.

“If the opportunity presents itself, I certainly wouldn’t rule that out,” said Farrell when asked about extra rest for Pomeranz before the postseason. “We recognize the innings total, how he’s climbed over the last couple years in particular. But we notice the velocity has dropped somewhat so it’s got to come down to being able to locate more consistently which he did in Baltimore. He was pinpoint control that night. Tonight, not so much.”

The other health concerns on Monday are positional players. Eduardo Nunez left early after re-aggravating his knee injury.

“My foot got stuck at home plate and we didn’t expect that,” Nunez said. “We didn’t expect it was going to be that tough, so we’re going to sit down for a few more days. We’re going to keep working, do my treatment and hopefully in the series with Houston try again.”

Nunez will be brought back slowly with the goal getting him healthy for the postseason.

The other injury is to right fielder Mookie Betts. Betts’s wrist acted up a couple of days ago and worsened in the game on Monday. Betts postgame didn’t seem overly concerned with his wrist and should be good to go in the coming days.

“I’m not really that concerned,” he said after the Red Sox’ 6-4 loss to the Blue Jays. “I think I’m  going to be fine.”

Once the Boston Red Sox lock up the division they can then start to rest some of their stars and give guys like Chris Sale and Pomeranz some much-needed rest. Boston will take on Toronto once again on Tuesday night with Sale on the mound.

The Boston Red Sox are winners of five straight games in a row. Their last loss came back on the 17th when they lost to the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2. This run that they are on has helped catapult them into a four-game lead over the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East.

New York, clinched a playoff spot on Saturday and acted like they had won the World Series. There was champagne popping in the locker room and photos all over the social spheres. The overreaction of baseball playoff-clinching continues. Boston happened to clinch their playoff spot last week. Did any of you see a clubhouse party? Nope. Me neither.

Boston has started to showcase hidden gems like the resurgence of Eduardo Rodriguez, Rafael Devers, and the return of David Price who has been stellar so far out of the bullpen.

Thier latest winning streak is impressive. But it is also important not to overreact to a good team beating a string of bad teams. Getting hot at the right time matters though.

With 8 games remaining their magic number to win the AL East for the second straight season is sitting at 5 games. New York continues to win ballgames of their own keeping this pennant race one that could go all the way to the end.

One more game in Cincinnati on Sunday, then 7 games to finish off the regular season at Fenway Park. A three-game set against Toronto, and a four-game set against Houston, one of the best teams in the American League to end it.