There was the four-game sweep in Anaheim that featured the high point of a historic stretch for the starting pitching. Then, two straight losses in Baltimore.
There was a win in the finale versus the Orioles, but then two consecutive defeats at the hands of the lowly Seattle Mariners, at home no less.
There was a walk-off win in the last meeting with the Mariners and two more victories over the Angels, all before a historically long loss in the middle of the night and then two more setbacks on the heels of that one.
Finally, there were three wins over Minnesota to end a long homestand, before consecutive losses in Toronto, both of which had that bad-taste-in-your-mouth kind of feel.
Continually, the Red Sox have flirted with crawling out of the hole they dug early on, but each time they have failed to do so. Their 0-4 record in games in which they had a chance to reach .500 is one thing, but it goes beyond that. Momentum, real momentum, the kind that can vault a team from the cellar to the ceiling in what remains a pretty tight division, has been extremely hard to come by.
Because of this rather fruitless pursuit, the weekend series at the New York Yankees presents the club with a golden opportunity. Finding some positives in this city and against this team is the type of scenario of which the Red Sox are in need.
There isn't panic in Boston's clubhouse, or any other one for that matter. It's only May 13. But the decision to skip Daisuke Matsuzaka in the rotation had more to do with the fact that he had some elbow issues and then an awkward relief appearance before his previous start. The day off Thursday gave Terry Francona a great chance to bump Matsuzaka and line up the best he has to offer — Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett and Jon Lester — in the one place, above all others, at which he needs his team to be at its best.
Now, maybe the move would have been made even if the Sox were at home against the Orioles. But it was a no-brainer for a team that could use a quality showing this weekend.
Expect Francona to take similar measures in the games, whether it involves using his closer for a four- or five-out save, or taking a rare gamble on the bases or playing his best players all nine innings of all three games even if some of them could use some time off.
It's still early, but the Red Sox need to build momentum at some point. A weekend series in the Bronx seems like a good place to start.
