Alex Cora Makes Confession After Red Sox’s Tough Loss To Astros

Players and coaches in all sports like to tell a certain lie when the regular season is winding down and the playoffs are approaching.

“We’re not looking at what’s going on around the league” or “We’re only focused on what we’re doing.” Basically, they are trying to create the impression that they’re maintaining impenetrable tunnel vision on the task at hand, even though it’s only human nature to poke around and see what your opponents are up to.

But that’s not Alex Cora. The Red Sox manager was very straightforward and honest Monday night after Boston suffered a 5-4 loss in Houston, which dropped Cora’s club to 4 1/2 games back of the final American League wild-card spot.

“I look at the standings all the time,” Cora told reporters, per The Boston Globe. “I look at the scoreboard all the time. I know Kansas City won. I watch.”

Thus, Cora knows his team faces a very steep challenge with the calendar nearing a flip to September. The Red Sox only have 38 games left on their regular-season schedule, and 15 of those are against teams that entered Tuesday in control of a postseason spot.

Yes, Boston absolutely still has a chance of playing October baseball this year. But time is no longer on its side.