Following a two-day stretch which saw the Red Sox give up 34 runs in three losses, have one game rained out and another shortened by a monsoon, the team can finally step back and plot a course for the final week-plus of spring training.
It is a stretch sure to leave some players a bit uneasy, especially after a few of the performances we saw over the last 48 hours.
One was delivered Monday by Boof Bonser, whose bid to grab a spot in the bullpen took a hit with an ugly line at City of Palms Park.
"I’m trying to come in and get that last spot," Bonser said after giving up five earned runs in two-plus innings of an 11-9 loss to Tampa Bay.
"I gotta come in and prove I’m better. And when I go out and do something like that, it gets me down."
Bonser called his effort "junk" and "brutal" and is hoping to get back on the mound soon to try to put this one behind him. The same could be said for some of his competitors for a roster spot.
Scott Atchison, who has had a very good spring, gave up a home run in two innings of work. Joe Nelson gave up one in his only frame. And Junichi Tazawa saw three long balls sail over the wall in one unsightly inning.
Tampa Bay hit seven home runs in all and Boston opponents have hit 14 long balls since Friday.
Brian Shouse, vying for a spot as the bullpen’s second lefty and now seemingly threatened by the arrival of Alan Embree, tossed a 1-2-3 sixth. With the way his day started, though, he certainly could use it.
Displaying some of the angst in the clubhouse, Shouse thought the worst when he was called into a morning meeting with manager Terry Francona and pitching coach John Farrell. Alas, the visit was purely social.
"We were talking to Shouse this morning and we just wanted to talk to him and he was like, 'Here we go,'" Francona said. "We just want to make everyone understands what’s going on."
Across the state in Jupiter, another split-squad team dropped a 13-8 decision to St. Louis. Ramon A. Ramirez gave up four runs in 1 2/3 innings and has now walked seven men in six Grapefruit League appearances. Starter Michael Bowden was reached for four runs in three frames.
Francona said that a lot of players are feeling a bit "heavy legged" after the travel and other issues. He also indicated that while some of the pitching lines are difficult to look at, numbers will not be a deciding factor.
Perhaps that is what will keep some of those performing well on edge. Shouse, Nelson and Atchison have combined to allow just six runs in 25 Grapefruit League innings but none are guaranteed anything at this point in time.
"It's actually a lot of anxiety," Francona said of the vibe. "We get in such a routine coming out to the ballpark. It’s fun coming, but there’s a lot of guys and this is how they make a living. I’ve probably been through it more than most. I know how they feel."
Bonser, who is working his way back from shoulder surgery which caused him to miss the 2008 season, felt as if he took a step forward and then two steps back this week.
Feeling the roster crunch coming, he seemed to sum it up well for his colleagues.
"Everything is big right now," Bonser said.
Late in Monday’s loss to the Rays, a collection of Red Sox minor leaguers scored eight straight runs in the final three innings and had the tying runs on in the ninth when 21-year-old Derrik Gibson grounded out to end it. The rally got the crowd into it for the first time all day and gave a weary bunch of Bostonians something to smile about.
"At least that perked the day up," Francona said. "It wasn’t going too well until then."
There may be a few more hard days to come for a few members of an anxious clubhouse.
