Red Sox Notes: Boston Faces Unfortunate Reality Of Struggles
The Boston Red Sox reached a point they had not been at since the middle of June.
As referenced by MLB.com’s Ian Browne, Boston’s 8-3 loss on Tuesday to the Tampa Bay Rays dropped the ballclub below the .500 mark for the first time since June 11 at 75-76.
The Red Sox are 22-33 since the All-Star break and fell victim once again to a pitching staff that’s gotten hit hard throughout the second half of the season after a promising opening three months. Boston now falls out of the reality of a playoff race and the greater danger of dropping in the American League East standings.
“We’ve got three ways,” Cora told reporters, per NESN’s postgame coverage. “Be average, below average or above average. Right now, we’re below average. Like I’ve been saying all along, it’s not lack of effort. It’s just not happening for us right now.”
“It’s not ideal,” Pivetta told reporters, per NESN’s postgame coverage. “I think the most important thing is we just move on to the next game. Move on to the next day and flush this. Try to get back into positive baseball.”
Boston needs to find momentum to encourage the young core that once provided momentum for the Red Sox at various points of the season. The Red Sox have 11 games remaining to do that and set up a consequential offseason with some positives.
“Not what I envisioned for us coming into the last couple weeks of September,” Casas told reporters, per NESN’s postgame coverage. “Still a lot of game left. Still a lot of positives to try to reach.”
If the Red Sox make the playoffs, Alex Cora believes there’s one individual to thank
When you mix the playoff push that many teams are trying to make over the next two weeks with one of the greatest rivalries in sports, you get pure entertainment. Although it may seem a little far-fetched, the Boston Red Sox are hanging on by a thread and trying to claim the last American League Wild Card spot.
Entering Monday, the Red Sox are 4.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins for the last Wild Card position. Even with the Red Sox coming off of a series loss against their division rivals, the New York Yankees, Alex Cora remains optimistic about Boston’s playoff chances and is actually ready to thank Gerrit Cole if it happens.
Alex Cora thinks Gerrit Cole gave Red Sox added motivation
In the Red Sox-Yankees series over the weekend, we witnessed one of the most bizarre moments in recent memory. The Yankees had a 1-0 advantage in the fourth inning of Game 2. Rafael Devers stepped to the plate and intentionally walked with the bases empty. Yes, you read that correctly.
