The team is fighting and clawing to stay afloat in the AL East, where the Yankees look like a juggernaut and the Rays aren't far behind. Meanwhile, the Red Sox are simply hoping to stay close as they get their injured All-Stars back on the field.
But with injuries, there's always uncertainty. How long will it take for those players to return to midseason form? Will they at all? What if the injury comes back and sidelines a player for the remainder of the season?
Needless to say, Theo Epstein won't have any easy decisions to make over the next week.
So with the Red Sox seven games out of first place and four games out of the wild card, what do they need the most at the deadline: starting pitching, offense or help in the bullpen?
One way to look at the question is through stats. The Sox' rotation is middle-of-the-pack in the AL, ranking seventh with a 4.27 ERA. Take that for what it's worth, though — the Mariners pace the AL with a 3.64 ERA, despite accounting for the second-fewest wins (25) among starters.
Offensively, the Red Sox are tied for the lead in runs scored in the majors with 510 while hitting a healthy .272 as a team. Still, the Sox are 16-16 in one-run games. A run here, a run there, and the AL East race would be a lot tighter than it is at the moment.
Then there is the bullpen. Fresh off an inglorious showing in Seattle on Thursday night (Friday morning on the East Coast), the Red Sox' pen ranks 11th in the AL with a 4.43 ERA. Its 13 blown saves rank second in the AL, ranked two behind Baltimore. Those one-run games could have been different had the bullpen been stronger as well.
So, which is it? If you think the Red Sox most need starting pitching at the deadline, text "SOX1" to 542542. If you think they need offense, text "SOX2" to 542542. If you think they need help in the bullpen, text "SOX3" to 542542.
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