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Closing Time: Red Sox’ September swoon continues as Rays finish sweep 09.11.11 at 5:09 pm ET
By Alex Speier

Jon Lester

It was one thing for the rest of the Red Sox rotation to fall short. At this point, expectations were already measured for the likes of John Lackey, Tim Wakefield, Andrew Miller and Kyle Weiland.

But Jon Lester was another matter. He is the rock of the Red Sox rotation, and at a time when the rest of the team had been sagging, the left-hander had been willing to shoulder the load to give the Sox at least one day out of five when they would feature reliable starting pitching. He had gone five straight starts in which he’d allowed no more than one earned run, tied for the longest such run by a Sox left-hander since at least 1919.

Will the Red Sox -- who are up 3 1/2 games over the Rays in the wild card after Sunday's loss -- make the playoffs?

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But on Sunday, that changed. In the course of a 43-pitch first inning, the Rays pushed three runs across the plate. They would tack on one more against Lester, who lasted just four innings, before continuing to do damage against the Boston bullpen in an eventual 9-1 smackdown.

And so, the Red Sox lost their buoy. The Rays and James Shields concluded their three-game sweep over the Sox, and suddenly the Sox’ safe passage into the postseason seemed dramatically imperiled.

On Aug. 7, the Rays were 11 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East, and 10 games behind the Yankees in the wild card standings. Now, with their three-game sweep in Tampa Bay, the Rays have slashed their deficit to the Sox — now in the wild card race rather than the division standings — to 3½ games, punctuating a stretch in which the Rays have gone 22-10 and the Sox have stumbled to a 15-18 mark.

Tampa Bay outscored Boston by a combined 22-8 score, and the Sox enter Monday’s off-day having lost five straight, 7-of-8, and 9-of-11. They are in their most pronounced state of crisis since their 0-6 start in April.

WHAT WENT WRONG FOR THE RED SOX

– The Rays worked over Lester as never before. For the first time in his career, on a day when he threw more than 100 pitches, the left-hander could not work his way into the fifth inning. Instead, he allowed four runs on eight hits in just four innings, striking out two and walking three. In the first inning alone, the three earned runs permitted by Lester matched his total yield from his previous 30 innings.

– Lester’s dreadful outing continued one of the worst turns of the rotation by the Red Sox in years. The team has now had five straight starts of no more than five innings, the longest such stretch by the team since Sept. 21-25, 2001, when Casey Fossum, Derek Lowe, Hideo Nomo, David Cone and Frank Castillo taxed the Sox bullpen.

– The Sox bullpen has also been abysmal, a trend that continued on Sunday when Michael Bowden loaded the bases in the fifth on two walks and a single before Matt Albers unloaded them by leaving a fastball over the middle of the plate that B.J. Upton crushed for a grand slam. Felix Doubront was later touched for a run on two hits and a walk in the seventh.

In the month of September, the Sox bullpen has had to pitch 49 innings, and the group has wilted under the workload. The team’s relievers have a combined 6.43 ERA this month.

– Dustin Pedroia went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Since Sept. 4, he is 3-for-34 (.088) with one walk and nine strikeouts.

– Mike Aviles had a pair of hits, but he was picked off at first by Shields. It marked his second game with a glaring baserunning out of the road trip, along with a game-ending caught stealing in Tampa Bay. For a player who is currently the Sox’ top pinch-running option, the development is somewhat surprising.

(That said, Aviles is not alone in having been picked off by Shields, who has 12 pickoffs this year, the most by a right-handed pitcher since Charlie Hough had 14 in 1988. Opposing base stealers are 1-for-6 against Shields this year.)

WHAT WENT RIGHT FOR THE RED SOX

– Marco Scutaro went 2-for-3 with a homer. He has five multi-hit games in his last seven contests, and went 13-for-27 during the Sox’ otherwise dismal seven-game road trip.

Read More: Dustin Pedroia, james shields, Jon Lester, marco scutaro Print  |  Email  |  Bark It Up!  |  Digg It
  • JDD

    I am so sick of this underacheiving, overpaid team with their gutless manager, who is afraid to make anything other than the “easy move”. When this season ends, without this team in the playoffs, they better take a close look at their manager. This would be the worst collapse in team history! Not measured by amount of games given back, but measured by their ridiculous payroll. I refuse to watch this garbage they call baseball that they are putting out there every day. It is time to put the peddle to the metal and finish the season strong. In the last month, they started to prepare for the postseason. This caused the team to start coasting. Now it has turned into losing, every day. Now they are playing afraid to choke. Which is exactly what they’re doing. This team’s collective morale is shot beyond repair. They will not recover and they will win nothing this season. Just a massive disappointment considering all the talent they thought they consumed. I am embarrassed by this team. Good night to all!

  • Cagsman

    Inexcusable. This team was stacked at the beginning of the season and still is on paper. Why can’t they win now,? All fingers point to Francona. You can’t blame Crawford or Agon, or Lackey or injuries. The managers job is to lead his team through thick and thin, I honestly can’t call Francona a leader, he has been very fortunate to have a team to manage through the years. 2004 was led by the cast of idiots not Francona, 2007 was a well built team that had some young players wanting to make an impression and created some spark. I watch Maddon coach the Rays and love the way they kept pushing today, and how he plays his hunches not worrying whether he is going to offend a player or go against what the stats might suggest. Kuddos to the Rays and the Angels for not giving up.

    The Sox wanted to be somewhere else today, it was on their faces. This team should have been up for this entire series playing the Rays. It’s not over yet but jeez show that you care at least.

  • Whitey

    It all starts with pitching…remember the RUN PREVENTION line we were all fed after the bridge year to no where? Well…there is no run prevention on this team. The sox pitching in the AL ranks 8′th out of 14….in short the pitching sucks. Anchoring a rotation around Wake and LackLuster is a recipe for disaster…and that’s what we have.

  • geets

    It’s Francona’s job to make sure they are “up” for a series? If these guys need to be jump started this time of year, then they shouldn’t be playing professional sports. Crawford, Lackey (let’s just say the entire pitching staff) and injuries are a huge factor for this team tanking over the past week, throw Pedroia’s miserable road trip numbers as well. I think there are times Francona can play his card differently (walk Longoria last night, DON’T sit Gonzo and Crawford at the same time) but ulimately there is little Tito can do to squeeze blood out of a decimated starting staff and a miserable bullpen (until they get to Pap that is). The way this is going, they may very well be out of the race by the end of next weekend. Don’t fret, football has started and the Bruins will be on the ice soon.

  • Craig in CT

    If you don’t think that Pedroia, Ortiz, and Gonzalez are into it and want to win these games, you’re not paying attention. And those are your leaders who play every day. Youk’s normally on that list and do you think he doesn’t care? And what exactly is Francona supposed to do that will make the pitchers pitch better? You don’t think Lester knew today’s start was important? You don’t think Bard knows his job when he comes in? It’s easy to blame the manager right now. Were you calling him the best manager ever when the team was scorching hot all of July? Of course not, because that was just the players too, like the ’04 and ’07 titles. Please.

  • Ryan

    What I want to know is when the WEEI writers are going to get some courage and start laying the blame where it truly belongs – at the feet of the boy-wonder GM. I’ve never seen an article blaming him who has blown millions on players and whose only good moves have been no-brainers. But what do you expect from people who can’t seem to move beyond titling their articles with such catchy phrases as “13 and a half things we learned” and “Josh Beckett is a workhorse”?

  • Babe Ruth Is Dead

    you can’t crticize theo for this…everyone (myself included) wanted him to get a bat at the trade deadline…instead he picked up Bedard for next to nothing…good move…with all the pitching injuries..

    Jenks hurt all year…Bucholz back…Youkilis…Lowrie…that is a lot of injuries to absorb…you can criticize theo for not having any pitching depth in the minors…

    you can criticize Francona for not having his team ready to play…criticize him for making bonehead decisions and not being creative with his lineup…

    you can criticize the coaches for not having the team ready…

    you can criticize the players for not being ready to play…they have to want to win as much as you and I want them to win

  • Bo

    Run production might help also.. other than the 11-10 loss the last 8 losses are a combined 2.25 runs a game. Correct me if I am wrong but I do not believe there is a pitching staff with a below 2.25 a game ERA in baseball and likely never has been. If logic serves me… no matter how well or poorly the pitching is or will be is irrelevant with a 2.25 runs per game average.

  • Bo

    Pedroia 3-34 since Septemeber 4 and a walk and a Caught stealing which eliminates one of the 4 on bases and all Francona can do is say ‘We (he obviously is speaking for someone other than me)do not have to worry about him.” referring to Pedroia’s current .088 BA in the last 34 AB. What faith Terry, keeping him 2nd 3rd and 4th in the line up everynight. Geee I wonder if theres a link between that treatment of his situation and his cribbage entanglement with his BOSS. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Hey WEEI staff am I gonna hear MVP talk this week about your boy Pedroia? Whens the Pedroia bashing gonna start Meloni? This Franchise, WEEI and all it’s ass kissing yes men, and the rest of you ignorant bastards sure new how to tar and feather Crawford. See if you can produce the same hate for your boy.

  • Bo

    Is it not time to give Pedroia the 7 hole?

  • Bo

    Some one show some legitimate conclusive evidence that making a batting order lefty righty lefty righty… or righty lefty righty lefty…serves as a predictor for successful baseball. It is a level one assumption with absolutely zero credence to the outcome of a baseball game period. Arbitrary, Statistically irrelevent, foolish, non sensical, the product of Terry Franconas powerful and independently functioning mind. Thats sarcasm for all the Franconas out there.

  • Bo

    Ohhh and for you Terry successful outcomes are when we have one more run scored than our opponent as it appears you have forgoten that.

  • Bo

    Francona must be spending too much time at the Mohegan Sun

  • Bo

    Hey Craig… you must be a Yankees fan with that comment. You must be joking huh??? Name one other manager in major league baseball who would day in and day out game after game bat a Carl Crawford behind Ortiz, and Gonzales? Every time I see Papi or Gonzo or both on base when Crawford comes to bat I shake my head.. even after grandslam homeruns.. I still shake my head.

  • Bo

    Good news Francona… you cant loose tomorrow!!!

  • Bo

    Theres a sliver of hope yet… The 1907 Cubs had a team era of 1.73.. maybe a 2.25 runs per game will hold up after all. NOT!

  • Bubba

    Bo, your man love for Crawford is laughable. Even with his miserable slump, Pedroia has numbers that Crawford would kill for. Crawford is a huge reason why we are in this mess. He has done exactly nothing from April to now, and you want to bash Pedroia for a couple weeks of struggling? Once again, just about none of this is Francona’s fault. All the bullpen arms have underperformed. If you want to blame Theo, go ahead, but last winter everyone was stoked about how Theo was stocking the bullpen. You can blame Theo for Dice-K, but once again, everyone wanted that guy, including the Yankees. Blame Theo for Lackey, but he was the only legit starting pitcher available at the time. If you want to play the blame game, blame the pitchers first, almost all of them except Pap and Becket have underperformed. Then blame Crawford.

  • scrapz

    I’m sorry but the ignorance coming from these posts are laughable. Honestly, Francona is awful? Lacklester? Really, this is what it has come to? The bottom line is you have some guys who are in ruts right now at the wrong time along with injuries. Bo are you kidding me Pedroia in the 7th hole? Do you know anything about baseball? I’m sure you were one of the guys in ’07 screaming to take him out the lineup in April when he was doing terrible. Ya how did that workout? The guy hit over 400 in the month of July. He is having another great season and he is one of the best 2nd baseman in the league. Ya we will see at the end of September if you are posting the same crap that you are now. They are in a bad rut right now no doubt, but to say it has nothing to do with injuries and that Francona is a terrible manager is extreme ignorance. Watch they will have a 6-7 game next week and everyone will be praising Francona, some fans are just jokes.

  • scrapz

    Some one show some legitimate conclusive evidence that making a batting order lefty righty lefty righty… or righty lefty righty lefty…serves as a predictor for successful baseball. It is a level one assumption with absolutely zero credence to the outcome of a baseball game period. Arbitrary, Statistically irrelevent, foolish, non sensical, the product of Terry Franconas powerful and independently functioning mind. Thats sarcasm for all the Franconas out there

    Hey Bo two world series victories. His managerial style has brought two champions to this town. Something no other manager could do for the sox in 86 years. Please you are in panic mode because they are stinking right now. This happens in Baseball man. I wonder what you were saying back in April when they were 2-10.

  • babe ruth

    Some great post about Pedy, What happen to that blowheart mike adams who predicted 104 wins? They also seem to bring up his mvp award, which was a total joke. The worst season ever by a mvp winner. Just a week ago dale arnold said the Red Sox were the better team after the yankee series. They are just all homer’s and will never tell it like it is. My biggest question is how Crawford has gotten a pass all season long in one of the worst season ever. He flat out stinks, and they have sugar coated it all year. Theo is the most overrated GM in baseball, two of the worst signings in the last five years Lackey and Crawford

  • Bubba

    Are people actually trashing Pedroia on here?????? A 2nd baseman who hits 300 with 15-20 HRs and plays excellent defense????? Are you out of your frickin minds??? “The worst season ever by a mvp winner”. Is this the stupidest statement ever?? Even if it wasn’t Babe Ruth in 1927 it was still an amazing enough year to get him the MVP! It’s a shame people like you got to celebrate in 04 and 07. You didn’t deserve it.

  • boris

    Thanks scrapz and Bubba for some sanity.

    The rest of you might not want to believe it, but their goal is to win the World Series, not impress you right now. The Rays and Jays are good teams, and if you don’t go all out, you are going to be at a disadvantage. They know they made the post-season, so they are trying to be maximally ready for the ALDS and beyond. (I am enjoying it that they arent getting off easy here – they don’t deserve sympathy with a Goliath payroll.)

    The playoff rotation of Beckett, Lester and Bedard will be fine. And Aceves, Bard and Pap will be enough in the pen. The line up, even without Youk at 100%, is the best in baseball.

  • geets

    There isn’t a single free agent signing of note that is giving the Sox return on investment, with maybe the exception of Scutoro who has played to his potential for the most part. Drew, Lackey, Crawford, Dice-K…all have given the Sox zero this season. When does Theo start being held accountable for his failures? I remain more impressed by what the Rays do with their roster and limited revenue than anything the Sox have done since ’07 with all their cash.

  • Bob M

    Please don’t forget Jenks in the list of free agent non-contributors. It must be painful for John Henry to sign that paycheck each month.

  • Craig in CT

    Hey, Bo. Lifelong Red Sox fan. You got that wrong, too. Have a seat on the bench.

    Geets. Free agency is a crap shoot for every team. Look no further than the Yankees for recent examples. But you’re leaving out that most of the roster is constructed from home grown talent or was acquired via trade. Theo spins the wheel on the free agents, just like every other GM, but he’s built a team with enough talent via other means for the team to win two titles and be in the discussion every year. The fact that the overpriced disappointments haven’t prevented that is a credit to his approach.

  • Gman

    I hope the respondents who think the Sox will make the playoffs are right. Having said that, what is this with treating Francona as if he were Butch Hobson? Is it his fault that he’s had to be as much of a doctor as he is a manager the last 3 years? Even if you are a Yankee fan, Craig, your posting hits the nail right on the head. However, if they miss the playoffs, Epstein could be headed out of town. Right or wrong, his “resignation” after the ’05 season can’t be the only conflict he’s had with Lucchino. If a boss doesn’t like someone under him, he will find a way for him to fail. As you pointed out, geets, Lucchino has found 4 ways for Epstein to fail.

  • Craig in CT

    Gman, I really, honestly am a Red Sox fan. Got the posts to prove it. I don’t think Theo’s going anywhere unless he is interested in the Cubs job. He came back. So, the conflict either is overblown or an arrangement was made that makes it possible for them to coexist. Most I could see happening is stricter oversight and tighter budgets on free agent signings.

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