The Red Sox clubhouse has had many reasons to celebrate this season, but they were singing a different tune Tuesday and Wednesday.
Boston was swept by the New York Yankees, losing three games in a span of two days, to fall a game behind its rival for second place in the American League East standings.
The Yankees have been on a tear of late, while the Red Sox can't seem to get out of their own way, losing must-win games with the postseason looming.
Getting swept was the last thing the Red Sox needed, so it's no surprise the clubhouse was "very quiet" after the game -- a much different mood than when they swept the Yankees earlier in the year.
Nick Pivetta, who lasted just 1 2/3 innings before the bullpen needed to come in, was a bit more optimistic after the loss.
"We're just hungry for more. We just have to stay steady, stay fast through this little bit of a stretch," he said over Zoom. "We have an off day tomorrow, which will be really good, get some energy get some rest. Get some energy moving forward. It's just focusing on game to game and going out there competing every single day and doing our jobs. We're very confident in ourselves and we've done a really good job up to this point. Yes, things haven't been great as of lately, but we're really close and we're doing a good job. We just gotta stay together and stay moving forward. It's baseball. It's a game. It's hard at times, things don't go your way, but it's staying focused, keeping the energy up and being really positive moving forward."
Pivetta always is upbeat after a game, no matter the outcome. But he always seems to know what to pinpoint.
The off day certainly is needed before the last place (in the AL West) Texas Rangers come to town for a three-game set.
Maybe the Red Sox will be able to catch fire and go on a nice run. There still is time to do so, but time is running thin.
