Stumbling Red Sox have no choice but to move forward

The current record would suggest gloom and doom for the Red Sox.

Starting 6-15 would be difficult to overcome in most 162-game seasons, much less in this 60-game sprint to October. Boston is buried at the bottom of the American League East standings, sitting 8½ games behind the Yankees.

What hope could the Red Sox have in the midst of this four-game series in the Bronx? It’s pretty simple, actually. Boston has no choice but to believe results will turn sooner [...]

The current record would suggest gloom and doom for the Red Sox.

Starting 6-15 would be difficult to overcome in most 162-game seasons, much less in this 60-game sprint to October. Boston is buried at the bottom of the American League East standings, sitting 8½ games behind the Yankees.

What hope could the Red Sox have in the midst of this four-game series in the Bronx? It’s pretty simple, actually. Boston has no choice but to believe results will turn sooner or later – the alternative is to wallow in misery through the next seven weeks.

"It’s not pressure," said Martin Perez, who will serve as Monday night’s starting pitcher. "Just trying to find a way to win. Like I’ve said before to you guys, everybody knows what to do. Just get close.

"I know it’s hard for the Boston city to see what’s happened with the team. Sometimes it’s not how you want it. Believe me, we’re trying to find a way to win. It doesn’t look easy."

The Red Sox pitching staff has been historically bad to this point. Rafael Devers, Andrew Benintendi – now on the injured list – and Jackie Bradley Jr. are among those underperforming at the plate. Boston chairman Tom Werner admitted in a recent NESN interview the club didn’t have the pieces to compete at the moment.

"We’re trying to win as many games as we can," Devers said through translator Bryan Almonte. "Even though it’s a short season we’re not completely out of it yet.

"We’re just going to go out there. The pitchers are going to try to do what they can. Offensively we’re going to try to do what we can as well.

"Just try to win as many games – we’d like to have more wins. That’s just a part of it right now."

The Red Sox staff ranks last in the American League in run allowed per game, hits allowed, earned-run average, home runs allowed and WHIP. Boston’s offense is ninth in the A.L. in runs per game, ninth in home runs, 12th in stolen bases and 12th in walks. The defense is 14th in both errors and fielding percentage.

"These things you go through – I wish I had an answer for it," Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said. "Staying positive is certainly the biggest thing. Knowing that they still believe we’re behind them and we know we’ll come out of it – I think that means a lot to them and how we react to all this."

The Red Sox had dropped six straight into Sunday, and all of those defeats came against the A.L. East leaders. The Rays pounded Boston during a four-game sweep at Fenway Park and New York bashed its way to victory through the last two nights. The Red Sox allowed at least eight runs in all six games and were outscored by a count of 63-30.

"We wish we could win more games, especially against the Yankees," Devers said. "That’s just a part of baseball. We try to continue to have a positive mindset – everyone in the entire clubhouse – and we’re trying to right this ship right now."

bkoch@providencejournal.com

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