Red Sox attempt to numb pain heading into final Yankees series

(Photo: AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Are you having trouble processing what happened last night? Was your sleep perturbed? Are you sad and angry at the same time? Are you second-guessing every AB and play of the game? Heck, the whole season? Yeah, me too. The Minnesota Twins are a ridiculously good baseball team and a legitimate World Series threat. Your Red Sox finished the season 3-3 against them, with the 3 losses being one-run heartbreakers. Yet, the record and the standings show that Boston is in a hole. It’s a well-carved hole. It’s steep, it’s bleak, it’s deep.

Yet, this is the city of magic. Transitioning into a huge series against the Yankees, there’s got to be some shenanigans left in this team. As we speak, the Red Sox have a projected 3.5% chance of playing a postseason game. Yeah, I’m saying there’s a chance -- that’s because there is. You move on from last night you get ready to kick some Yankee butt. What’s it going to take?

On Thursday, David Price, scheduled to start the opener against his “favorite opponent,” was scratched due to tightness in his wrist that developed during a bullpen session. In an attempt to avoid further speculation on this matter, we look at what the Red Sox have on their hands. Friday night, latest acquisition Jhoulys Chacín will step up for his Boston debut to start against the New York Yankees. In two career starts against the Yankees, Chacín is 1-1 with a 4.09 ERA. To get something close to a quality start would be a mission accomplished on his part.

From a fan perspective, maybe that’s not what you want to hear, but your job should be to act like every pitch is the last of the season. If you’re going to Fenway Park, sit through the damp weather and treat this like October baseball. Boo the Yankees, get in their heads and don’t look at the scoreboard for other games. This series at home. Act like it.

The 2019 Red Sox are straight-up weird. They will make you believe and enjoy your pain. And I’m all for it -- for now. With 22 games left in the regular season, four of which against the Rays, the Red Sox have their work cut out for them. But if you’re going to do something special, it has to be through the teeth of adversity. Suck it up and believe.

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