Despite their earlier dominance against their fiercest rivals, the Boston Red Sox have looked utterly lost in their final regular season series against the New York Yankees.
Boston had an 8-2 lead in the season series when New York came to town for the first of three games on September 12. The Red Sox had a polarizing stretch leading into their last bout with the Yankees — after losing Roman Anthony to injury, the Sox lost three straight games, won three, and the Yankees have set them on another three-game skid.
The Red Sox are tied with the Astros and Mariners for the third American League Wild Card spot, and the Rangers are two games behind, closing in fast. Alex Cora feels the precariousness of his team's situation, as evidenced by his comments on Saturday evening.
“I think we should stop talking October, to be honest with you," the manager said. "There’s a lot of stuff going on and we have to play better. I’m not saying we’re in a bad spot, but I think we have to wait, you know, to see if October is part of this.”
Alex Cora tells Red Sox to divert attention from October baseball as late-season woes emerge
These comments are a stark pivot from someone who told Anthony to "envision an ALCS first at-bat" as he recovers from his oblique strain. Since Anthony's injury on September 2, Boston's playoff odds have decreased from 98.2% to 81.3%, per FanGraphs. Their schedule isn't getting any easier — after another matchup with the A's, Boston will face the Rays, Blue Jays and Tigers to finish out the season.
If the Red Sox's offense stays as rough as it's been against the Yankees, their playoff standing could be in real jeopardy. Boston has fanned 20 times in the first two games of the series, and it's only mustered four runs on 12 hits. But by no means should it be throwing in the towel.
Cora had high hopes for his team just days ago, as shown by his comments to Anthony and recent jokes about the good vibes around Boston as the playoffs close in. The Red Sox's postseason fate is not entirely in their hands, as any one of the teams around them in the Wild Card could go hot or cold at any moment, but October baseball is still firmly in the picture.
The Red Sox have a lot in the way of their potential Wild Card berth, but negative attitudes inside their clubhouse shouldn't be one of them. The swift change in Cora's outlook won't help Boston keep its eyes on the prize, and belief is critical as the season nears its end. The Red Sox have more than enough talent to make the playoffs, even without their 21-year-old phenom, and everyone in the clubhouse should act like it.