The Red Sox’ new strategy of cutting the brake and steering lines as they careen downhill toward the playoffs doesn’t seem to be off to a great start!
For most of the season, the pitching and defense have been enough to keep Boston at least in the correct lane as they have moved through the season. But they have logged so many innings, and when you factor in injuries and some much-needed rest for that group, this doesn’t exactly seem like a viable travel plan for Craig Breslow and the club.
On Wednesday afternoon, Patrick Sandoval and Brayan Bello went the way of so many of their recent brethren, allowing plenty of runs early and putting the club so far behind that coming back felt improbable, if not impossible.
It originally looked like the debacle that was Tuesday night might have just been an isolated incident. Sandoval came out and threw a scoreless first inning, and in the bottom half, the Sox got back-to-back-to-back singles from Gasper, Rafaela, and Abreu.
Unfortunately for Chad Tracy and the Red Sox, Chad Epperson has apparently been taking all of the references made about Mickey Gasper and the “Great Mantle” literally. He thought it was prime Mickey rounding third and not the slow-footed Nintendo character that we all know and love.
Gasper was gunned down at the plate by Randy Arozarena, who actually charged the ground ball through the shortstop hole this time and threw a dart to get Gasper.
That out let the air out of the Fenway balloon early, and the energy in the building never really ramped back up.
That was due in large part to Patrick Sandoval, who, after retiring the Mariners in order again in the second, fell apart in the third.
Back-to-back singles by the seven and eight hitters in the lineup put runners on the corners. A wild pitch made the score 1-0 Seattle and advanced the other runner to second base. Sandoval got the next two batters out and looked like he might just wiggle out of the knots that the Mariners had tied him up with.
Alas, it was not to be, Mattey.
Sandoval walked Dominic Canzone to put men on first and third again and surrendered a single to Julio Rodríguez to make it 2-0. Josh Naylor then served a sweeper into left field that blooped over the infielders’ heads and fell in front of Duran.
Canzone scored easily, but when Rodríguez went to third, Duran unleashed a throw that almost knocked out the Mariners ball boy next to the dugout and allowed Rodríguez to scamper home with Seattle’s fourth run of the inning.
From there, it was really all over but the shouting.
Sandoval completed the fourth inning and came out for the fifth but didn’t record a single out. By the time his outing was over, he had thrown 80 pitches in four-plus innings, and only half of them were strikes.
Brayan Bello relieved Sandoval in the fifth and was able to work out of a jam thanks to a 5-4-3 double play, but Boston still trailed 4-1. And the sixth inning was about to unravel for Bello even quicker than the third did for Sandoval.
A leadoff walk, then hit by pitch, single, single, single, and double, all in succession, had the Mariners sailing out to an 8-1 lead and many in Fenway Park deserting the sinking ship like rats.
The Red Sox offense did try to stage a brief mutiny in the bottom of the seventh when Roman Anthony sent his first homer since returning from the IL into the Monster seats and Eli White doubled home Mickey Gasper.
But the two runs were to little, too late to salvage the game or the series.
When You Get to the Bottom, You Go Back to the Top
In many cases, the bottom of the lineup has been a welcome respite for foes of the Mariners, as their seven, eight, and nine hitters have been rather unproductive this year. But not on Wednesday against Sandoval and Bello.
Those three hitters combined to go 7-for-10 with three walks, five runs scored, and two RBI.
Not a good way to approach things, especially when you’re still going to give up five hits and two walks to the first four hitters in their lineup as well.
’Cause I’m Mister Brightside
There is very little positive to take out of what just happened to the Red Sox over the last two series, but if there is anything, it is that Roman Anthony might actually be “That Guy.”
In the four games since he was activated, he has had at least two hits in every game. He is 9-for-14 with a walk and four runs scored from the leadoff spot. He is also showing power, with two doubles and a homer, as well as the ability to hit the ball to all fields.
For a team dealing with a number of injuries to middle-of-the-order bats like Contreras and Rutschman, the return of the Roman Empire might be the one thing that can keep the car on the road as they careen downhill at breakneck speed.
What Are the Red Sox Doing?
Clearly, the Red Sox have changed their mindset regarding how they are going to approach the final month of the season, as well as what their expectations are.
The moves alone show that they are going to try to tread water in the hopes of simply outlasting the teams chasing them, getting into the Wild Card Round, and going from there.
IL stints for Contreras and Guerrero, along with multiple days off for Rutschman and Monasterio, speak volumes. Add in some skipped starts for Bennett and Gray over the last week, along with pushing Tolle back and giving Paez a start, it certainly appears that Breslow and the front office are pretty confident that they are going to get in anyway.
And that, right now, it is more important to be rested when they get there.
Let’s take a look at it from the analytical side because if we simply try to rationalize it from the fan perspective, it will cause a number of strokes, seizures, and cardiac episodes among the readership.
Mathematically speaking, the Red Sox have 22 games remaining.
If they can manage to go .500 over those games; yes, I know that seems like a big ask given what we have seen recently, but are they really that bad? An 11-11 finish would put the Sox at 86 wins.
No, it is not exactly a shining beacon of greatness, but let’s compare it to the three teams chasing the Wild Card spots.
Texas, Baltimore, and Toronto are all six games behind the Red Sox, and all three are 69-71. If Boston gets to 86 wins, then one of those teams would have to go 17-5 over its final 22 games just to tie Boston.
The Rangers have to play three against the Blue Jays. Someone has to lose those games, and when you can only afford five losses, that is a plus for the Sox. The Rangers will also host Boston in the middle of the month.
It is nice to hold your destiny in your own hands.
The Red Sox also play Baltimore next! Every win against them is worth two in that magic-number scenario we mentioned. The O’s also have two series against the Jays.
Again, someone has to lose those games, which means there will be fewer teams for Boston to deal with.
All that being said, it is incumbent upon the Red Sox to win at least half of the games they play going down the stretch.
For those of you who still remember what 2011 felt like, it would require a collapse like that for the Sox not to make the playoffs.
Now, the part of my 50-year-old brain that remembers what life was like as a Red Sox fan before 2004 is still hammering away at the cell walls that I have banished it to way in the back! And each day that the pitching gives up eight-plus runs and the offense looks like it is playing with Wiffle bats instead of maple, the echoes and cries get louder and louder about just how eerily similar this team is starting to look to the one that collapsed in 2011. You know the team that lost the final game of the season to the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.
And guess where the Red Sox are headed next?
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