BALTIMORE — By no means did the Red Sox have a bad trip to Baltimore. They got two key contributors back in their lineup (Tyler O’Neill and Triston Casas), got solid starting pitching from multiple guys and won a couple of close games against a really, really good team. To walk out of Camden Yards with a split after losing six of seven to the Orioles before the series is, in and of itself, an accomplishment.
But at this point, it’s not enough.
The reality is that the clock is starting to tick for these Red Sox and simply keeping their head above water won’t be good enough for much longer. A team that soared before the All-Star break has been just OK since it, as evidenced by an 8-8 record so far in August. Boston is 3½ games out of a wild card spot with 39 games to play. Yes, the Red Sox have won four of seven since a bad sweep at the hands of the Astros last weekend, but so have the Royals, winners of four in a row. The Red Sox enter Monday in worse shape by a game-and-a-half than they were a week ago and two games worse than two weeks ago. It’s not that the gap has only widened by a little since the trade deadline. It’s that it hasn’t been closed.
The two Red Sox wins in Baltimore were good ones — a 12-10 slugfest on Friday and a good pitching performance in a 5-1 victory Saturday. And their two losses weren’t bad ones — a 5-1 loss Thursday and a 4-2 defeat Sunday. But losing hard-fought winnable games on the heels of one of the worst losses of the season Wednesday night against the Rangers makes that one sting even more. The Red Sox have been preaching getting greedy all season and the feelings around the team would have been a lot more positive had they squeezed out three of four against the O’s.
“These were dogfights, for sure, all the way through,” said first baseman Triston Casas. “Tried and true. That’s a really good team over there. They grinded out every single at-bat. My first game was 12-10, then last night was a pitcher’s duel with (Brayan) Bello taking a no-hitter to the sixth. And Kutter threw a really good game (Sunday).
“It was a tough-fought series and those are the type of games we want to be in,” Casas said. “It’s the type of games we’re expecting in Houston as well. More competitive baseball to come down the stretch. We’re right in the position we want to be in.”
The Red Sox aren’t fighting for their lives and they don’t have their backs up against the wall just yet. But Alex Cora is managing like they do. Since the end of last month, Cora has turned up the aggressiveness dial significantly. He pinch-hits constantly. He pulls starters early. And the Red Sox are not shying away from the urgency of the moment.
“Every game is a big one for us,” Cora said. “I’ve been saying that since Seattle (series in late July). It felt that way at home. Every pitch matters. Every pitch counts and we’re going to keep doing that. We have a good team and we’re in the hunt. Nothing changes. We split here, it doesn’t matter what happens around us. You’ve got to take care of yourself.”
Up next for the Red Sox is another matchup against the Astros, who will throw lefty Yusei Kikuchi on Monday, breakout star Ronel Blanco on Tuesday and then, most likely, Justin Verlander in his return from the injured list Wednesday afternoon. The Red Sox can’t have anything close to a similar series as they did at home last weekend, not with the Royals facing the lowly Angels at home. Strong crowds at Oriole Park over the weekend are likely to pail in comparison to what the Sox will be greeted with in the air-conditioned confines of Minute Maid Park. A team that has played a lot of postseason baseball in Houston over the past few years faces another big series there against a team that has won nine of its last 10.
“They’re an awesome team,” Casas said. “Have been for a really long time. You can consider it a dynasty. I think we’ve got our hands full … They always have great arms on the mound and Minute Maid always gets packed. It’s a loud atmosphere, for sure. They’re going to be ready and take great at-bats so we’ve got to reciprocate that.”
The next week is a very difficult one, with Houston and the upstart Diamondbacks (28-13 since July 1) on the schedule. Then comes a breather. The Red Sox will have a chance to beat up on some teams with the Blue Jays coming to town before a trip to Detroit and the Mets and a home series against the putrid White Sox. In that time, the Royals’ schedule gets tough with matchups against the Phillies, Guardians (twice), Astros, Twins and Yankees.
The Red Sox better not wait for the schedule to be more favorable to start gaining ground. It’s getting late fast. A big series win over the last four days could have catalyzed a big week. Instead, the Red Sox are a club that wishes it could have gotten a little bit greedier in Baltimore.
