Despite winning their second straight series at home the Red Sox are doing little more than treading water and seeing days drop from the calendar. They failed to accomplish some of the keys we laid out prior to their three-game set against Toronto, and a much-needed sweep remained elusive.
Not that it was all bad. The back-to-back wins over the weekend were filled with drama and sent the Sox into a series against Seattle with some momentum. They just might need a lengthy winning streak at some point.
Here are a few more items to take from the weekend set vs. the Blue Jays:
Goodnight, Jon Boy
The series opener was an absolute stunner. Coming off consecutive scoreless outings against a pair of first-place teams and facing a team he has dominated, Jon Lester simply didn’t have it. He was gone after two innings, a career low, having given up nine runs, a career high, in what amounted to a 16-2 setback.
Following the game, Lester said he hoped it was a “once in a blue moon” outing. He will face Seattle and Baltimore in his next two starts, so there’s opportunity to put this one in the past.
Jed’s Ahead
He’s past his bout of heat exhaustion and is moving into a more regular role with Dustin Pedroia out. Also, Jed Lowrie continues to swing a productive bat.
His walk-off winner Saturday night is what will be remembered, but Lowrie has been doing the job at the plate for some time. Entering Sunday, Lowrie had a hit in the last nine games in which he had an at-bat and, had 13 walks against just seven strikeouts and owned an OPS of 1.022, courtesy of three doubles and three home runs in a seven-game span.
Date With Destiny
Despite the complete lack of movement in the playoff chase for several days, the Red Sox remarkably still control their own destiny, so to speak. They remain 5 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay in the wild card race with six games between the teams left on the schedule.
The first three of those take place Friday through Sunday in Florida. Boston is not making up any ground but it has not lost its opportunity.
