Injuries have finally caught up with the Sox. They woke up in a foreign country 2 1/2 games behind the Rays in the race for the AL wild card. They are one loss away from matching their longest losing streak of the season.
One of the biggest reasons the Sox have fallen off the pace is their struggles within the division. Boston is 18-20 against AL East opponents this season, by far the worst of the division's Big Three. Compare that to Tampa Bay's 22-10 record in the division, or the 20-11 AL East mark the Yankees took with them to the West Coast and you can see the biggest difference between the contenders.
When it comes to taking on the teams they are trying to catch for a playoff spot, the Red Sox have fallen woefully short. They are now 4-8 vs. the Rays and 3-5 against the Yankees. If they were .500 against the pair, they would be in first place right now.
In fact, I'll take it one step further. There are two specific games the Sox would love to have back. On May 17, the Sox were beaten 11-9 at Yankee Stadium, a shocking loss that saw Jonathan Papelbon give up a game-tying homer followed by a walk-off shot. On Monday, they had a 5-1 lead against the Rays and had chased Matt Garza after three innings. They were beaten 6-5.
Had the Sox won those two games, they would be in a virtual tie with the Rays for the wild card lead right now. It would be a very different division.
The Sox need to get to the break and start getting some help from the DL. Jeremy Hermida has been taking batting practice and is close. Jacoby Ellsbury is still a long ways away, but he'll join the team in Toronto and begin baseball activities. The team is still hopeful that Victor Martinez will be back sooner rather than later. Josh Beckett pitches for Pawtucket on Sunday and may be able to start in the second series after the break.
Will it be enough? The Sox have to hope so. While Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia are still weeks away, any help is welcomed right now. Things hit rock bottom when Niuman Romero wound up batting cleanup for the hurting Kevin Youkilis, going 0-for-4. Three of those outs came after David Ortiz was intentionally walked. A day later, Romero was designated for assignment.
The Sox have done an incredible job finding players to fill in for injured starters. But Romero, Daniel Nava, Kevin Cash and others are reserve players, not starters. With the trade deadline coming up, the Sox aren't likely to bring in many big names. They have big names coming to join the race — it's a matter of getting them back in time to help.
The Red Sox are 5-1 against Toronto this season, the only team in the division against whom they have a winning record. They'll need all hands on deck to get through the weekend — and get to a three-day break they so desperately need.
