This past weekend almost certainly left a bad taste in the Red Sox's mouths.
Not only did Boston drop two of three to the Tampa Bay Rays after Friday night's contest was postponed to Monday. The Red Sox's loss Sunday afternoon was especially ugly, with Boston's defense once again proving inconsistent, much to the team's detriment.
So, as The Boston Globe's Alex Speier highlighted, the Red Sox held a team meeting Monday morning at Fenway Park before their series finale against the Rays. It served to get everyone back on the same page with Boston continuing to hover around .500 for the season.
"It was just to get back to who we are," Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen said, according to Speier. "It's a long season and everybody believes in this team, but it's just a moment to get back to who we are, find ourselves, what we're capable to do, come here, and give us the best.
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"It's refreshing. We've got 102 more games after this one. What can we do the best in those to get to where we want to get, which is the postseason? We want to play in October. Everybody here wants to play in October. We've got a team to do it."
The last point is debatable, of course, seeing as the Red Sox entered Monday sitting in last place in the American League East with a 30-29 record. A playoff berth absolutely remains on the table, but Boston needs to right the ship soon. The Red Sox trailed the first-place Rays by 11 games and sat five games back of the third AL wild-card spot before Monday's action.
Obviously, actions speak louder than words. And team meetings -- Alex Verdugo also called a players-only meeting last month -- can only go so far without improved results. But Jansen told Speier that Monday's gathering featured a number of voices -- both players and staff members -- so perhaps it'll send the Red Sox down the right path before the 2023 season slips away.
Featured image via Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports Images
