Character Exam is in Progress - Please Do Not Disturb


The Red Sox are facing their first real test this year, both on the field and off. On the field, they have lost 6 of 7, and are dealing with injuries to both regular closers. Joel Hanrahan was just moved from the 15 day DL to the 60 day DL, and there is talk of surgery. Off the field, David Ortiz is being questioned for PED use and Clay Bucholz was questioned by Toronto media for possibly using an illegal substance on his arm to get a better grip on the baseball. But lets take a moment and put this in perspective here - the Yankees started this season with over half a billion dollars in talent on the disabled list, according to the Herald. Think about that for a moment. And let's remember that the Yankees are currently in a three - way tie for first in the AL East with us and Baltimore. Just like the Yankees are dealing with their issues well, we have to deal with ours as well.

And lest we forget that we still have 127 games left. That's still a long time. Anyone who assumed after we started off so hot that we would just coast would be wrong. Baseball is a game of streaks and the teams that are successful are the teams that get hot at the right time.

Another thing - the teams that win are also the teams that handle the rough patches and come out better on the other side. So the Red Sox need to dig deep and toughen up mentally to get through these rough patches if they want to succeed this year and return to October baseball. I think they can, and they will.

As always, tweet me @ConorJF1016 or leave a comment below.