The Red Sox’ Season Is Over
Red Sox Nation doesn’t want to hear it, but at this point, it has to be said: The Red Sox are done.
John Lackey wasn’t good enough in the series finale against the Rays on Sunday night (which shouldn’t shock a single person), the Sox dropped 2 of 3 in a pivotal 3-game set down in Tampa, and the club is now 6 and 1/2 games out of a playoff spot with just 31 relatively meaningless games left in the regular season.
Crazier things have happened, but unfortunately they won’t be happening here in 2010…
This year’s incarnation of the Boston 9 has had to battle a string of injuries which few other squads in franchise history have faced, and for that, the Sox deserve a lot of credit.
But any hope for 2010 to end in storybook fashion with a playoff berth vanished on Sunday night at Tropicana Field. To truly re-enter the playoff picture, the Sox needed to sweep the Rays. At the very least, they had to win 2 of 3.
In the end, a lack of offensive firepower and a severely overpaid right-handed starter put a final nail in the Red Sox’ coffin.
The Sox scored a total of 8 runs in the 3-game series (3 of which came courtesy of Victor Martinez home runs), and John Lackey allowed 5 earned runs over 6 and a third in yet another disappointing outing for the Sox’ $82.5 million investment.
It was a fitting way for the Sox to stick a fork in their playoff chances. Two key hitters got banged up, and a highly paid pitcher underperformed. That’s really all you need to know about this game, and the Sox’ season as a whole.
Adrian Beltre (who’s clearly the Sox’ offensive MVP this year) tweaked his hamstring, Victor Martinez (who carried the offense over the weekend) got cleated by Carlos Pena while blocking home plate, and Lackey turned what looked like a stellar outing into a dud.
This season will be remembered as the year of the unknown. Guys like Daniel Nava, Darnell McDonald, Ryan Kalish, and Yamaico Navarro became household names while seemingly every regular hitter set up camp on the disabled list. Many names were unfamiliar, others were tricky to pronounce, but they all performed admirably given their inexperience.
It’s a nice story, but it doesn’t get you into October. With 4 regular starters missing from their lineup and 2 highly paid starters ineffective, injured, or both for the majority of the season, it just wasn’t in the cards this year.
Sure the Sox have had their chances to gain ground over the last month, but take one look at the current active roster, and nobody with half a brain cell is going to see a playoff team.
So whether you’ve been fascinated or frustrated by the anonymity of the 2010 Red Sox, the “Impossible Dream” will remain synonymous with only one year in Red Sox history.
Tip of the old ball cap to Terry Francona and his rag tag bunch for somehow managing to stay competitive for this long. But due to the standards the Sox have set with 2 world championships in the last 6 seasons, there are no moral victories in Boston.
It’s going to be a long and intriguing off-season at Fenway Park, and it’s officially time to look ahead to 2011…
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[...] Report, the Sox’ current playoff odds are about as close to zero as humanly possible (click here for the official “FFR Red Sox Eulogy”). But Boston is far from being mathematically [...]
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I am a Yankees Fan, but even I know the Red Sox can still make the playoffs. They can make up 6.5 games in 31. Its up to them.