The odds remain overwhelmingly in favor of the Red Sox advancing to the postseason. But their play on the field this month suggests otherwise. A team that was one of the best in baseball for the better part of five months is now a desultory bunch, seemingly content to milk a lead that is growing smaller by the day.
“We have to get back to playing good baseball. We’ve got to win games,’’ second baseman Dustin Pedroia said. “We’re trying our hardest but we didn’t play very well tonight. We have to come out and play better tomorrow.’’
That will be a test. The Rays have Rookie of the Year candidate Jeremy Hellickson on the mound against September call-up Kyle Weiland. The Rays have won five of their last six games.
“They have a bunch of young guys. They’re going to play hard until the end,’’ said Sox left fielder Carl Crawford, a former Tampa Bay star. “They have all that energy. It’s their time of the year, they like to try and finish strong.’’
The Sox have one of the oldest teams in the league and they look it. Third baseman Kevin Youkilis and No. 3 starter Erik Bedard were back in Boston yesterday getting injuries checked out.
John Lackey started but lasted only three innings, felled by another poor start and a bruise on his left calf courtesy of a batted ball.
The Sox have a 6.44 earned run average in the last 10 games. The offense last night managed only six hits, five of them singles.
“We’re inconsistent right now. We have one game when we score a bunch and then we come out and not,’’ manager Terry Francona said. “All teams go through that. We’ve got to fight through it. We are a little banged up. But, OK, we have to find ways to win. Sometimes it’s harder to win than other [times]. Doesn’t mean you can’t do it.’’
Wade Davis (10-8) went the distance, striking out eight without a walk. Outside of the sixth inning, when the Sox scored two runs on three hits, he did not let a runner advance to second base.
The Sox are hitting .170 in 12 games against the Rays this season and averaging 3.08 runs.
