The Red Sox needs to put their words to action
Saturday night was an absolute disgrace and shouldn’t have ever happened. The Red Sox were absolutely embarrassed by the Texas Rangers and it’s become par for the course in regards to this squad. For as bad as things have been since the All-Star break there hasn’t been any silence coming from the clubhouse and that needs to change. The time for talk is over and this squad needs to start having their actions speak.
I’m going to warn you all early in this here rant that I’m not going to be holding anything back. From top to bottom, this is a collapse that has been beyond painful to watch. I won’t compare it to the 2011 Red Sox as this has yet to reach those heights. But it sure feels a hell of a lot more like 2020 than it does 2018.
This squad was a force to be reckoned with in the first half, and for some reason, they’ve forgotten that they’re a good ballclub. Boston is failing in every aspect of the game right now and it’s causing them to rapidly fall down the standings.
After each loss, we hear from Alex Cora and a select few players and it feels like the same routine each and every time. After getting absolutely smashed by the god-awful Texas Rangers Saturday night Cora actually showed some fire. Oddly enough we haven’t seen much of that spark from the skipper this year and I think the team may be suffering from that. In 2018 he was a damn lightning bolt in and out of the dugout but it just isn’t happening in 2021.
This club lives and dies with their manager and seeing his lifeless stares from the top step with each passing loss is getting exhausting. In the past I could’ve sworn that Alex wouldn’t think twice about arguing a call or getting into an argument with an ump and getting rung up, that guy seems to be gone. I’ve lost track of how many times this season where it felt like one of those outbursts could’ve sparked this team and yet just never came.
I need to see some life from AC if this squad wants any hope of playing baseball in October, if he continues to just deliver the same listless schtick every night they’re as good as done. That’s the easy solution for Cora, show that passion and emotion that had us fall in love with you as our manager.
The other part of the equation is the actual management. In 2018, it felt like he was playing chess while everyone else was sitting at a game of checkers. That hasn’t been the case this season and I have no answer to that problem.
Whether it be a more analytics-based approach under CBO Chaim Bloom or just being rusty after a year off, AC doesn’t seem to have that gut feeling that made him such a good player and manager. A lifelong baseball guy who could always trust his gut has made more questionable choices recently than a fast-food run after a night at the bar.
Pulling starters early, leaving relievers out too long, going to the same bullpen arms too many days in a row, it feels like he doesn’t have a clue. I need him to go back to being the confident guy that used analytics but also relied heavily on his experience.
If the Red Sox want to get back onto the winning side of things it starts and ends with Cora and how he runs this team. We all know he has the ability to lead a winning club and he just has to get back to what got him to the dance.
That’s it for my rant on Cora, now, it’s time for the players. Will you dopes remember that you’re actually good at this job and start winning? I know, I’m asking a lot from these guys to do what they’re paid to do and do it well. Sorry.
This very lineup dominated MLB and the AL East through the first half and for some reason they’ve been one of the worst teams in the game since the break. The worst part? They’ve added Chris Sale, Tanner Houck, and Kyle Schwarber to the recipe and somehow they keep cooking a terrible meal.
If the Red Sox were to presented what they’ve done since the All-Star Game to Gordon Ramsay he’d ask for their jacket and boot them from Hell’s Kitchen in a heartbeat.
With the talent at the levels of J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, and Rafael Devers running the heart of your lineup, there’s zero reason why you should be failing so badly. I’d put those three up against any other trio in the league and wouldn’t think twice about it.
Then we’ve got Kiké Hernández who has proven to be a great lead-off guy and Alex Verdugo who in the past has been the heart of this squad. Add in the Bash Brothers of Schwarber and Hunter Renfroe and there is no excuse for losing 10-1 to the Rangers.
This offense was one of the absolute best through the first half of the season and the once loud lions have become meek and quiet mice. Yeah, they’ll have a game or two where they put up some great numbers but when you get smashed soon after it’s all for not.
Dominating the Orioles is nice but doesn’t mean a damn then when you then get stomped by the Yankees hours later. Swinging at too many pitches out of the zone and letting junk hurlers off the hook more often than not has turned these titans into mere mortals. Beyond the offense is the defense, what was once laughably acceptable has turned dismal.
Alex Speier of The Boston Globe wrote about the defensive struggles of the Red Sox and how they’ve become the absolute worst in the league. This team has players that can play very good defense but they struggle when the blunders begin to happen. It’s as if Boston suffers from the snowball effect when on the diamond. With each mistake, the snowball rolls and gets bigger until it’s massive and then you end up like you did Saturday night.
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We hear a lot from this group, and I get it, they have media obligations. But I want to start seeing more action from them. With one of the easiest schedules the rest of the way there’s no excuse for what happened on Saturday night. The score should’ve been 10-1 but in favor of the Red Sox and not Texas. October baseball felt like a sure thing for a good chunk of the season and now it feels more like a pipedream.
Lastly, Chaim needs to get more aggressive with his decision-making. He did what he did at the Trade Deadline and no matter if he cashed out the farm system for a big name or stayed quiet he would be criticized. Move on, people.
If I have to hear more about what he didn’t do at the Deadline I’m going to put my head through a wall. But he does need to trim more of the fat on this roster. Take you “L,” Chaim, admit some of your decisions weren’t great, and get these bums outta here.
This is a very good baseball team and I wish they would just remember it. I know, sounds childish, but it’s true. You don’t go from first place for nearly the entire first half of the season to the bottom of the barrel like this. Figure it out, and get back to doing what worked. Yesterday’s rainout forced a schedule shuffle and now today’s off day will see a 1:10 tilt with the Rangers. The Red Sox need to storm out of the clubhouse and beat the life out of Texas. Anything other than a one-sided slant in Boston’s favor is a failure.