Now, as Boston sits eight games behind the Yankees in the AL East and five behind the Rays for the wild card, the team must gear up for the final two months of the season.
4.47: The Red Sox’ bullpen ERA in 2010, 24th in the major leagues. Boston needs bullpen help, and there are plenty of good relievers available before the July 31 trade deadline.
.713: Combined OPS for Red Sox left fielders in 2010, 23rd in the majors and 208 points lower than Jason Bay’s .921 mark last year as Boston’s starting left fielder. There are a few different sluggers that Boston could add to play left field before the deadline.
74.2: Percentage of games left in the Red Sox schedule against teams with winning records (as of Tuesday). Boston has 62 games left in the regular season, 46 of which are against teams with records over .500.
.154: Combined batting average (10-for-65) of Red Sox catchers Kevin Cash (7-for-47), Dusty Brown (2-for-11) and Gustavo Molina (1-for-7), who helped fill in for Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek. Martinez returned to the lineup Monday, while Varitek is due to undergo a CT scan on his broken foot Friday.
1.96: Daisuke Matsuzaka’s ERA over his last three starts. Dice-K has gone at least six innings in all three outings, going 2-0 in that span. His success is vital for the Red Sox as they make a postseason push with a little over two months to play.
.701: David Ortiz’s OPS since the All-Star break, including his two-home run performance in Anaheim on Monday night. Ortiz says he wants a multiyear contract extension from the Red Sox thanks to his strong 2010 stats, but his second-half performance might dictate his future with the team.
