Red Sox Rant: What the heck happened?
That road trip was a real head-scratcher. |
Contributing Writer
The Astros, the Royals and the Blue Jays.
When those 10 games came up on the schedule, I thought for sure Boston would come out with at least seven wins. A sweep in Houston, 3-of-4 in Kansas City and at least one in Toronto, most likely two.
So how in the heck did a team with one of the best records in baseball go on the road and lose six of those 10 games? That’s beyond me.
The silver lining is that the Red Sox came home from the trip still in first place in the AL East ahead of the Rays by two games.
The Astros, the Royals and the Blue Jays.
Houston is the worst team in baseball. History. Like, ever. And the Astros shut out the Sox in the opener, then held a 5-0 and 7-3 lead before the Sox rallied for a 15-10 win in Game 2. It took a Stephen Drew home run in the ninth inning of the rubber game for the Sox to take the series. Hey, at least they took two of three, right?
Oh sure, Kansas City is one of the hottest teams in baseball. They’ve won blah blah blah … I don’t want to hear it. Listen to yourselves. The KANSAS CITY ROYALS! I don’t care if it’s 1985, the Red Sox are superior to this club. There is no excuse to go into Kauffman Stadium and come out with one win in four tries.
And don’t get me started on the Blue Jays. The worst team in the East. A team barely hanging on for life as we end the season. Why, oh why, please tell me why is Boston 9-7 against that team this year? Why did it require 11 innings to beat them? Why did slumping Mike Napoli have to hit a two-run shot in the ninth to send another game into extras – only to lose? Why did they only score eight runs in three games in a stadium KNOWN for being a launching pad?
The Astros, the Royals and the Blue Jays.
Ten games, six losses. By the Red Sox. To those teams.
Inexcusable. You think that was fun?
This weekend, the Yankees roll into town, hotter than they’ve been all year. Alfonso Soriano has seven home runs and 22 RBI since coming over to New York via trade. Prior to that, in two months, the Yankees had two home runs by right-handed hitters. Soriano went 10-for-14 with 14 RBI in his last three games.
After the Bronx Bombers invade Fenway, mind you a Sunday Night ESPN affair that won’t end until 1 a.m., the Sox board a plane headed for the West Coast to face the Giants and Dodgers. If you think Boston’s offense was brutal in Toronto, wait until they play late at night at AT&T Park. Or face the Dodgers pitching staff. Or the Sox staff faces the Dodgers, who are 40-8 in their last 48 games.
The Astros, the Royals and the Blue Jays. Sigh.
It was May 12 the last time the Red Sox lost consecutive series (they lost three straight from May 3-12). They’ve lost two in a row. To the Royals and Jays. The ROYALS and JAYS!
Someone wanna come to the Tobin and talk me off the ledge?
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