Normally, a day off in mid-to-late August for the Red Sox is seen as a bad day.
But it is good now that the Red Sox, the fans, and even those in between the two, the media, can’t catch our collective breaths as the final six weeks begin.
With the Yankees coming back to earth and being human again — even Mariano Rivera called himself a “human” after two bad performances against the Orioles — all isn’t as bad as it may have seemed after the Gagne bloopers in Baltimore.
I wrote a column about this very subject earlier in the week (10 reasons not to panic) and the responses I got via e-mail were mixed. Yankees fans resented my downplaying of the Yankees recent success and Sox fans were happy someone out there was so optimistic.
The bottom line is Sox fans, and probably Yankees fans, too, live too much day-to-day. If you have Bill Belichick saying it is important to be on an even keel week-to-week, and that’s on a 16-game schedule, what about 10 times as many games?
Anyway, now is the time to look a few guys and expectations over the next six weeks. I believe we can pretty much gauge/predict that status of this Red Sox team from here on out.
1. The Sox need more timely hitting.
Of all of their warts, and there aren’t many, this is the gorilla. Jason Varitek and, believe it or not, Julio Lugo, are the two guys I would want up with the game on the line. Lugo’s on a little role here. His 11-pitch at bat in the ninth inning, which preceded his RBI double, was special. And Varitek appears to have ice water in his veins. Whether he’s hitting well or not, he seems to come through at opportune times. That can’t be said for Manny Ramirez or, even worse, David Ortiz.
2. If Jon Lester is good, watch out.
Lester changes everything. It’s tough to get a feel for him in terms of consistency, but he could be a lightning rod in September, when the Sox play some tougher series. He is their only lefty starter and he’s a fighter. If Lester has a big six weeks, with everything else being equal, the Sox are the team to beat in the American League, so-so clutch hitting or not.
3. Terry Francona needs to go with his gut.
Now that Eric Gagne has his sanity back, Francona needs to get his wits about himself when it comes to the bullpen. Jonathan Papelbon and Hideki Okajima are his top two bullpen pitchers, period. Gagne is the wild card and should fill in when needed, which could be often in September. Basically, the Sox have a security blanket in the bullpen that no other team has. Francona has done a great job this season. He has kept out of the news, which means he hasn’t screwed up. He has done a nice job managing these personalities, which isn’t easy.
4. Just win (series), baby!
The best lesson from the last few days is forget the Yankees and focus on the Red Sox. When the Sox do that, which is very often, the Yankees successes (and failures) don’t matter. Sox are on a pace for 97 wins. Even if the Yankees went 42-0, the Sox would be playing in October. If the Sox can win 2 of 3 the rest of the way, which is not easy, nothing else matters.
Those are some vague looks at the rest of the way. I’d be interested in your thoughts or comments. I will respond to all comments.
