For the past few weeks, the Sox have been teetering on the edge with no clear momentum or movement, either gaining of losing ground. After winning the 1st 2 games of the series with the Angels, the Sox loss last night 7-2 was compounded by a New York Yankees loss. The Sox are thankful the Tampa Bay Rays lost, so they don’t lose ground in the Wild Card, but time is running low and just maintaining a 5.5 game deficit is not enough. What hurts the most about last night’s loss, is the collapse of Josh Beckett this season, going from a dominant ace the past few years to a pitcher who has allowed 4+ runs in half of his starts this season. That’s not going to get the job done.
Now with just 40 games remaining, the Sox need to make a move or forever hold their peace for the 2010 season. When sitting in a deficit, maintaining the status quo does not get the job done, so a aggressive push is necessary (and some luck) to get back into the chase. The Sox have had some opportunities to gain games and couldn’t get the job done, so one has to wonder if their chance to make up some ground has passed and 2011 should be the focus. Being an eternal optimist I won’t say the season is over yet, but it’s certainly getting closer and closer to the edge and the team just needs a small nudge over the cliff to put an end to this story.
The Sox begin a weekend series with the Toronto Blue Jays, a team they have taken 9 out of 12 from this year followed by a 48-73 Seattle Mariners team, so if they can’t gain ground now, it’s just not meant to be. The Sox look to get back in the win column tonight with Jon Lester on the mound and regain some momentum over the next week. Every game has n ow become a must-win, putting the pressure on each pitcher and hitter to be at the top of their game every inning. I firmly believe this team would be a force in the post-season if they could get there, but the likelihood of a playoffs berth is shrinking each day they don’t gain ground.
The fat lady hasn’t sung yet, but she is warming up her voice and is ready to go at any moment.
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