So, here’s the understatement of the year. The Red Sox aren’t on the best stretch at the moment. To be fair, even though they’ve been on a four-game losing streak, and are only 3-7 in their last ten, they haven’t been terrible. It’s almost been encouraging. Calm down. I said almost.
The good news? The pitching staff hasn’t been terrible. Giving up three or four runs a game is actually a pretty good goal. The Sox have been in that range a lot lately. I can’t really complain about that. Mark Melancon returned and had his best inning of the season. Daisuke made his amazing return, and didn’t get blown up. He actually pitched pretty well. (Better than Bard has, at least.) Really, if the pitching staff kept on keeping on, I would be pleased.
The problem has been that the offense hasn’t been quite good enough. They’ve been close. Most of the losses lately have earned saves for the opposing closer. So, they’re right there at the end. They just can’t quite get over the hump. That’s the kind of thing that happens when you’re missing the tops of your depth charts. (And, let’s be honest. Facing Strasberg, Gonzalez, and Johnson in that stretch didn’t help.) The thing I thought was encouraging? There’s a slight light in that department. Cody Ross is getting close to returning. No, Ross isn’t exactly Matt Kemp. But, he’s better than what the Sox have been throwing out there. Like the said, the Sox just need a little boost. The big boosts are on their way as well. Once the outfield is in better shape, Adrian Gonzalez can ditch right field and get back to first where he belongs. (On a side note, I don’t think Gonzalez get nearly enough credit for the job he’s doing out there in a tight spot. Or, for just being willing to do it in the first place.) That allows the Sox to dangle Will Middlebrooks and really see what kind of trade can improve the team.
The Sox are 6.5 games out, with about 100 games left.
Sounds doable to me.
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