Last year the Red Sox played 112 games against teams that were .500 or better, going 47-65.
For comparison, the average team played 86 games against teams at .500 or better, going 37-49.
AL East and playoff teams vs. .500 or better:
NYY 93 games, 50-43
Tor 94 games, 45-49
TB 89 games, 41-48
Balt. 89 games, 42-47
Hou. 69 games, 42-27
LAD 77 games, 50-27
Phil 81 games, 34-47
Atl 77 games, 40-37
Stl. 72 games, 34-38
Clev. 68 games, 34-34
Sea. 71 games, 38-33
SD 82 games, 38-44
Mil. 71 games, 35-36
No other team even came close to playing so many winning teams as last year's Red Sox. Toronto was second with 94 of these games, 18 fewer than the Red Sox.
This is what happens when you are the only team with a losing record in a dominant division.
But fewer AL East games in '23 should mean fewer games against teams with winning records.
Boston beat a winning team 47 times last year, compared to Cleveland's 34 times. But the Guards made the playoffs and the Red Sox finished last.
In 2021, the 92-win Wild Card Red Sox played 94 games against teams .500 or better, going 46-48. We actually won one more game against winning teams in the miserable '22 season than we did in the ALCS season the year before, but lost 17 more of those games.
That year, TB won 100 games and NYY, Toronto, and Boston all won at least 91, while the woeful Orioles only won 52 games. But even they only played 108 games against winning teams that year (30-78)-- four fewer than the Red Sox played last season.
The 2018 juggernaut Red Sox played 74 games (41-33) against teams .500 or better, a mere 38 fewer than last year's team.
Last year's schedule sucked. This year's can't be that bad. I hope.