1. How can the Red Sox build momentum?

Every time the Red Sox take a step forward, they immediately take a step (or two, or three) back.

That’s not an exaggeration, either; they’re 30-30 and it’s already the 13th time they’ve been at .500 this season. Every time they seem to be putting everything together, they fall apart again. They followed a four-game losing streak with a four-game win streak and their first sweep of the Rays at the Trop since April 2019. They put together two very enjoyable come-from-behind victories over the Tigers on Friday and Saturday, only to blow a 3-0 lead in the seventh and lose 8-4 in the 10th inning of Sunday’s series finale.

Some of this is due to injuries. They lost Lucas Giolito before the season started, and Trevor Story and Garrett Whitlock are done for the year. They’ve been without Triston Casas and Masataka Yoshida since late April, and lost countless other players for various stretches.

At the same time, they’re not the only team dealing with injuries. The entire league is plagued this year, especially in the pitching department. Some clubs are sustaining their losses better than others, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a squad that doesn’t need reinforcements.

One thing’s for certain: this summer’s trade deadline is going to be a bloodbath. But if the Red Sox can’t find a way to start building on momentum instead of immediately demolishing it, they won’t have to worry about that.

2. Is Rafael Devers a good defender now?

If you go by the eye test, Rafael Devers has never been a terrible defender. He’s been inconsistent, usually struggling with the fundamentals; oddly, he often makes the most difficult plays look effortless.

The Red Sox knew Devers was a bat-first player when they gave him the longest, richest contract in franchise history. Alex Cora also knows that stats don’t always tell the full story. He said so on Sunday morning, and then Devers proceeded to put together one of the best all-around games of his career, including multiple impressive defensive plays.

Devers has made four errors in his first 44 games, identical to this point last season. Baseball Savant has him in the 16th MLB percentile in Fielding Run Value, but his minus-2 Fielding Run Value is tied for the second-best mark of his career and he’s minus-3 Outs Above Average, an improvement from minus-9 last year. (He was somehow plus-13 FRV and plus-17 OAA in 2019?)

Is Boston’s third baseman truly improving defensively? There have been several games this season that indicate he is.

PS: Two-time Gold Glove and one-time Platinum Glove-winner Manny Machado is minus-2 OAA this season.

3. Would Chris Sale be pitching this well in Boston?

Chris Sale pitched on Sunday, so he won’t face the Red Sox when the Braves come to Boston this week for two games on June 4-5.

That’s probably fine by the Boston bats, whom he shut out over six innings in Atlanta on May 8. Six hits, one walk, 10 strikeouts. Vintage Sale.

This week, he was named National League Pitcher of the Month for May. Understandably so, because in his five starts last month, he allowed two earned runs and walked just two batters over 32 innings, racking up 45 strikeouts. Vintage, vintage, vintage Sale.

It’s understandable that Red Sox fans are frustrated seeing Sale finally pitching this well for another team (though he did just give up eight earned runs on nine hits to the lowly Oakland A’s on Saturday). But would the southpaw be pitching this well if he’d stayed in Boston? It’s hard to say. Andrew Bailey and the pitching staff have worked wonders this year, but after several snakebitten seasons, there was no guarantee the Sox would ever get vintage Sale again.

Better to just be happy that a man who brought Boston a ring is finally happy again after many tough years.

4. Will Kyle Teel be the next top Red Sox prospect to get promoted?

Kyle Teel is Eastern League Player of the Week, but his impressive stretch goes back even farther. Over 24 games since the start of May, he’s hitting .370/.463/.598 with 34 hits (nine doubles, four homers), 22 runs, 26 RBI, 14 walks, and 20 strikeouts. Through 40 games overall, he’s hitting .307 with a .908 OPS.

He’s the best Red Sox catching prospect since Jason Varitek, by far. The only question is, how long until he’s in Worcester? And if he adjusts well there, how long until he’s in Boston?

5. Where will Rich Hill end up?

When Rich Hill became a free agent last fall, he opted not to sign with any team at the start of the season; much like Pedro Martinez in 2009, he’s planning on joining midway through the campaign.

And with pitching injuries decimating the league, several teams are interested. But while the 19-year MLB veteran has never won a ring, it’s proximity to home, not postseason potential, that will sway his decision. The Milton, Mass. native has, in fact, had conversations with the Red Sox.

6. What will Kyrie do during the NBA Finals?

If past precedent is any indication, and it often is, there will be drama when Kyrie Irving returns to Boston.

On Monday, he said he “wasn’t my best self” when he was with the Celtics.

A more accurate assessment would be that he’s not his “best self” in Boston regardless of the uniform he’s wearing. On various trips to the Garden since his defection to Brooklyn in June 2019 (after declaring he had “every intention of signing” to stay with the Celtics the previous October), Irving has saged the arena to cleanse its energy and stomped on the Celtics logo at midcourt. When the Nets and Celtics met in the playoffs two years ago, he gave fans the middle finger multiple times and was fined $50,000 by the league.

He might say he doesn’t want drama, but much like Thanos of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s inevitable.

7. Can The Jays beat Kyrie?

“On the court, he’s one of the most talented guys I’ve ever seen,” Jayson Tatum told reporters on Saturday. “I’ve got a lot of great memories from having Kai as a teammate.”

Good for you, JT! But if he beats you in the NBA Finals, you’ll never hear the end of this.

To some extent, lip service such as this is part of the deal, right? Especially when there’s over a week of thumb-twiddling between the end of the penultimate round and the big show.

At the same time, this is no time for sentimentality. Put the friendship on pause. You can hug it out after you beat him and bring Boston Banner No. 18.