Free Fallin’ Like a Brick Off the Empire State Building

There is little to cheer about for Red Sox fans so far this season and the annual Patriots’ Day game was no exception. The rock of the Sox rotation, John Lackey, was anything but stable, giving up 8 ERs in 3.1 innings and putting the offense in a hole that they could not overcome. Sound familiar? That describes most games this season for the Sox. After being thoroughly outplayed by Tampa Bay this weekend, it begs the question, is Tampa that good or are the Sox that bad? The answer is simple.

Both. The Tampa Bay Rays are a contender this year. After an overacheiving 2008 season in which they lost to the Phillies inthe World Series and an underachieving 2009 campaign, the Rays look primed to be in the AL East race down the stretch. Their talented young pitchers have gained some experience and look strong to begin 2010, while their offensive firepower is better than some expected, myself included. BJ Upton finally looks like he is focused and is hitting the ball well, especially against the Red Sox.

The Rays are managed by one of the most underrated and talented guys in the game, Joe Madden. As evidence in his unorthodox 5 infielder move in the 10th inning of game 1, Madden is willing to take chances and be aggresive in the field and on the base paths. His managerial style fits his talented younger team and he has a knack for knowing when to use certain guys in order to put the best team on he field, even with a considerably lower payroll than his prime AL East opponents.

The other half of the answer relates directly to the Sox struggles. Right now, the Sox are playing some of the worst baseball I have seen in several years and are more games below .500 than at any point in the Theo Epstein era. Their defense has been poor, committing errors in more than half of their games this season, their starting pitchig has been terrible, with the exception of a few starts, their relief pitching has been shaky at best and their offense has struggled to score with any consistency at all. As good as the Rays are, they faced a Sox squad that looked flat and uninterested, which is unacceptable at this level of professional athletics.

There is an expectation of success in Boston for all of the sports teams, but none greater than the pressure placed on the Red Sox. The fans demand excellence and become impatient if the team does not produce wins. Even more unacceptable is when a team seems uninspired and plays undisciplined, which is exactly how I would describe almost the entire Sox roster right now. Talent is only one component of success and that has become painfully obvious this year in Boston.

The Sox are 1-6 at Fenway Park in 2010 and stand 4th in the AL East with a 4-9 record overall. With every loss, the Rays and Yankees are pulling away, creating a troublesomely large amount of games between themselves and the rest of the division. In most divisions in baseball it is not a terrible issue to be 4 or 5 games back this early in April, but the AL East is a different animal. There is no other division with the same talent and depth as the AL East, and because of that, it is more difficult to come out on top year in and year out and claim one of the likely 2 playoff spots (division crown and wild card).

Despite the fact that it is only April, it is time to pull out the panic button from the back of the closet and give it a push. Nothing is working for the Sox right now and no one knows what to fix first or even how to fix it. The struggles are not because of a lack of talent, but rather a lack of heart. There, I said it. There is no will to win and no belief they can win, a lack of confidence unseen in Boston since before the 2004 season. A swagger that has been borderline cockiness for the past several years is missing and until the club can regain that attitude, they will continue to kill rallys with double-plays and continue to throw pitches over the middle of the plate that land on the Mass Pike.

The smallest guy on the field is the only one playing with aggression and confidence right now. After Monday’s contest, Dustin Pedroia took in upon himself to not so subtly call out his teammates. After a being swept by the Rays, Peddy said, “When you don’t show up, you’re going to get beat. Doesn’t matter if it’s the Rays or (bleeping) Brookline High.” I certainly hope his teammates were listening, because right now Pedroia is the only person hitting and playing defense with any focus and intensity and the only player who acts like games in April mean something.

With the 5-7 Texas Rangers in town for a 3-game set, this is a chance for the Sox to pick-up their intensity and push forward. If someone isn’t playing with energy and drive, I want to see Pedroia get in their face and kick their ass a little bit. Players need to show some person responsibility and get this campaign turned around, because if they don’t turn it around soon, this will be a long summer. A below .500 record is unacceptable for a $162+ million salary, whether in April or October.