BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox completed a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals this week, winning four of their last five games and moving within two games of an American League playoff spot. Boston defeated the Royals 4-3 on Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium after scoring seven runs on Tuesday.

The Red Sox carry a 22-27 record and sit at the bottom of the AL East standings, having spent most of the season below .500. Entering Thursday's off day, the team had a 35.8 percent chance of making the playoffs according to FanGraphs and a 36.0 percent chance according to Baseball-Reference.

NESN analyst Lucy Burdge offered an optimistic outlook in a podcast interview. "The Red Sox are going to make the playoffs. As we get to the end of the season, they will be in the playoffs," Burdge said.

Theo Epstein, a senior advisor and part-owner of Fenway Sports Group, assessed the team's recent play in a podcast interview. "Pitching and defense have been fantastic," Epstein said. He pointed to the offense as the area requiring attention.

"Having to figure out the offense and fixing it midstream is important. There's something to build around with the pitching and defense and I know Craig Breslow and the guys are hard at work on fixing the offense," he said. Epstein served as general manager of the Red Sox from 2002 to 2011 and won two World Series titles in Boston.

Former Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz urged caution about postseason expectations during a radio interview. "It's still early. You can't even talk about wild card yet," Ortiz said. He emphasized a methodical approach at the plate, adding, "You gotta go pitch by pitch, day by day. You can't try to get three hits in one at-bat."

Ortiz also addressed resilience. "You gotta be patient, pay attention and have the discipline to bounce back when things aren't going your way. Try to continue fighting," he said.

Starting pitcher Garrett Crochet has been out for four weeks and has not started a game under interim manager Chad Tracy, who has compiled a 12-10 record. Last year, the Red Sox had a 23-9 record in Crochet's starts. Outfielder Roman Anthony is recovering from a sprained ligament in his right ring finger, and his recovery timeline has hit a snag. Both players are expected to return to the lineup soon.