Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
It’s been an interesting year for the Boston Red Sox. The scrappy bunch has been through social media scandals, mental breakdowns and an overall mediocre season. Things seem to keep getting more frustrating for the Red Sox by the day.
Wade Miley, who has turned in a very average season for the team amidst an array of pitching mishaps, put on a solid display in his most recent start against the Tampa Bay Rays. Miley struck out eight batters over 6.1 innings, while only allowing two earned runs. Though Miley’s performance won’t and shouldn’t necessarily be lauded in the general landscape of pitching, it’s a notable one amidst the drought of quality pitching from the Red Sox.
The first-place Rays, who won the game 4-1, were able to almost completely neutralize the bats of the Red Sox however, and it’s very clear that a quality start from Miley was wasted. Some might argue that Miley is at fault for the loss, and although he technically and statistically is, the blame for this particular loss has to go to the Red Sox hitters. The Red Sox finished the game with only three hits and failed to get anything started that could even pose a threat to the minuscule two-run lead that the Rays held since the fifth inning.
Occasionally in baseball, it’s easy for one to argue that last-place teams are simply in tough divisions or that they’ve been plagued by injuries or poor management. However, the Red Sox have a manager in John Farrell who can and has brought them to elite status. They have a hitting lineup that has more perennial All-Stars than most other teams could dream of.
The fact of the matter is, the Red Sox don’t care for this season anymore. They’re going to take their paychecks and think about next season. When a winning pitching performance is in front of them, their offense acts glib instead of digging deep to create runs. When the trade deadline approaches, the Red Sox are going to have to somehow clear out this level of hopelessness and at least build a last-place team that cares.
Christopher Nicastro is a Boxing Beat Writer for www.RantSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter, ‘like’ Rant Sports on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
