It was a sad day yesterday in Red Sox Nation as we learned about the passing of “Mr. Red Sox” Johnny Pesky. And with the Boston Red Sox on the road right now, there will be no tribute at the Fens until a later date.
I do expect at the very least that the Baltimore Orioles will hold a moment of silence before the game to pay their respects.
As for the business of baseball, this is a very important three-game series for the Red Sox.
They’ll enter this three-game set with the Orioles trailing them by 5.5 games in the AL East standings as well as for the second wild card. The two teams will play each other nine more times this season which includes these three games.
So realistically for the Red Sox to catch the Orioles, you would think they need to go 7-2 or 8-1 over the course of those final nine games the two teams play. While that would be great, we have to face facts that it probably won’t happen. I won’t say never since baseball can be a funny game.
What I do know is this though.
The Red Sox can make a statement that they aren’t out of anything yet by going into Camden Yards and sweeping the Orioles. However, being swept by the Orioles would probably end any hopes of the Red Sox making the playoffs. Like I said, I’ll never say never until the Red Sox are officially eliminated.
I think if the Red Sox can come out of this series at 2-1 and then go into New York and take two-of-three from the Yanks, they still have a fighting chance.
The Red Sox have been a decent road team all season as they are above .500 at 28-25. It’s at the Fens where they’ve struggled as they are 29-34. They’ll only have 18 games at home so if the road play can continue, we just can’t rule out the local nine.
It will be interesting though to watch. They have the talent.
It’s a matter of them having the will and catching a few breaks along the way.
It all starts tonight with Josh Beckett who we can only hope was inspired by the outings of Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester in Cleveland earlier in the road trip.
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
Ortiz injury keeps Lavarnway as odd man in [boston globe]
Ownership’s fault? Not buying it [boston globe]
Johnny Pesky, lasting spirit of the Sox family, dies at 92 [boston globe]
Johnny Pesky’s loss felt at annual Oldtime Game [boston herald]
Andrew Bailey set for debut, not worried about role [boston herald]
Tough to rally ’round these Red Sox [boston herald]
Johnny Pesky leaves big legacy [boston herald]
Bobby Valentine won’t budge [boston herald]
Sunday’s win a reminder of what might have been [csn new england]
Bailey could be activated Tuesday [csn new england]
‘We’ll never see another’ like Johnny Pesky [csn new england]
Reactions to the passing of Johnny Pesky [csn new england]
State of the Sox notebook: August 14, 2012 [csn new england]
Sox put faith in another knuckleballer [espn boston]
Varitek: ‘I’m almost speechless’ [espn boston]
Bailey expected to join Sox on Tuesday [espn boston]
Hard-to-figure Boston Red Sox in key series at Baltimore Orioles [espn boston]
Johnny Pesky connected generations of Red Sox fans and players [espn boston]
Johnny Pesky’s devotion to Boston Red Sox never wavered [espn boston]
Red Sox coach Jerry Royster enjoys daughter’s budding acting career [full count]
A different look at Johnny Pesky [full count]
Red Sox players past and present react to Johnny Pesky’s passing [full count]
Adrian Gonzalez Doing Reverse of 2011 Season and Other Thoughts From the Week in Baseball [nesn.com]
Maria Menounos, Jenny Dell Team Up to Mock Dustin Pedroia in ‘$#*! Pedroia Says’ (Video) [nesn.com]
Red Sox, Phillies Cautionary Tales of Big, Long-Term Contracts in Luxury Tax Era [nesn.com]
Johnny Pesky Remembered by Peter Gammons as Great Ambassador for Red Sox, Baseball (Video) [nesn.com]
Dustin Pedroia Understands Importance of Staying Hydrated in Long Baseball Season [nesn.com]
Inbox: Is Boston capable of making a run? [redsox.com]
Pesky deservedly is most beloved Red Sox great [redsox.com]
Duquette: Sox rotation ‘tough to overcome’ [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.
Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.
photo credit: getty images
