I really don’t want to give up on the 2012 version of the Boston Red Sox. I really don’t. But with the way this team is playing on the field, they’re making it very hard for me and probably others out there to not want to care anymore.
I know these guys are giving their all but with the money that some people spend on this team, why should they any more.
The New England Patriots kicked off the preseason, the Boston Bruins will hopefully be starting preseason camp soon and the Boston Celtics are about a month away from the preseason. Given how the Red Sox are playing why shouldn’t we turn our attention to the other sports in Boston (for the record, I’m not a Bruins fan.)
The Red Sox entered the month of August on a four-game winning streak that gave us hope, hope of better things. Then they lost four straight games before winning two to even up their record yet again. But after last night’s 5-3 loss to the Cleveland Indians that sent the local nine to their third straight loss, the postseason is looking bleaker by the minute.
Honestly, unless a miracle happens, this team will be making vacation plans in October instead of going to the playoffs. Yes anything can happen. All you need to do is look at the collapse last year. What’s to say this team doesn’t suddenly go on a huge run and instead of drowning in our sorrows, we’re celebrating a possible playoff berth.
The talent is there. But given what we’ve seen from this 2012 version of the Red Sox it’s probably not going to happen.
Felix Doubront, who had been one of the most reliable starters the Red Sox have had this season, hasn’t been quite cutting the mustard as of late. Maybe it’s the workload as he enters new territory or maybe it is his inexperience. Whatever the case may be, it’s not helpful to your bullpen when you only go 4.1 innings and walk more than you strikeout.
Doubront definitely has the makings to be a middle of the rotation guy down the line, he’s shown that this season. But right now, he may be better served by either going to the bullpen or even back into Triple-A and limiting his innings in the big leagues.
Despite the fact the Red Sox have been craptastic as of late, Adrian Gonzalez continues to swing a hot stick at the plate. He added another home run last night and now has his average back up over .300. He’s been tearing the cover off the ball lately. But when it seems like he’s the only one doing it, the Red Sox aren’t going to win too many games.
Honestly, I really don’t know what else to say about this team. I want to give up but I can’t. And honestly, it’s got nothing to do with the website. I can still talk about the Red Sox and not care what I say.
But I’m not going to do that and I’m not going to give up on this team, yet (yet is the key word in the sentence by the way). There’s still three games left in Cleveland before a day off in Baltimore. What’s to say the Red Sox can’t win the next three games and get back to .500. But if they happen to go 1-3 or, gasp, 0-4 in the Rock & Roll Capital of the World, I and probably others, will most likely give up on this team and start looking forward to other things.
We’ll be back later with today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. So for now, let’s take a look at the overnight links from the media.
To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click
Lowly Indians give Red Sox a beating [boston globe]
Relievers paying a toll to get by [boston globe]
Ortiz in a painful spot [boston globe]
Sox postseason quest trips out of block in Cleveland [boston herald]
Fast unraveling for laboring Felix Doubront [boston herald]
Adrian Gonzalez in swing of things [boston herald]
Justin Masterson backs Josh Beckett [boston herald]
Henry Owens moving up top prospect charts [boston herald]
Red Sox drop third straight after 5-3 loss to Tribe [csn new england]
Rare bad play by Ciriaco costs Sox [csn new england]
Signs are there that Sox are giving up on the season [csn new england]
Doubront struggles with command, possible fatigue [csn new england]
Mullen’s Minor League Notebook: August 9, 2012 [csn new england]
Sox notes: Playoff run depends on health [espn boston]
Rapid Reaction: Indians 5, Red Sox 3 [espn boston]
Another day, another shaky pitching effort [espn boston]
Closing Time: Doubront, Red Sox offense hit wall in Cleveland [full count]
Nuggetpalooza: Three disappointing nuggets on the disappointing Red Sox [full count]
Red Sox Can’t Offer Any Excuses After Another Disappointing Loss Full of Missed Chances [nesn.com]
Papi could return to lineup this weekend [redsox.com]
Bailey takes step forward, close to returning [redsox.com]
Pedroia makes first career start as designated hitter [redsox.com]
Formula for failure: Red Sox’ offense loses its way [alex speier – weei.com]
For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSN New England, ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.
And if you must check out the enemy news, be sure to head over to the Akron Beacon Journal and Cleveland Plain Dealer websites. You can also check out our Bloguin brother, Burning River Baseball.
Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.
photo credit: getty images
