At 70-70, the Sox are at .500 for the first time since June 14 when they were 35-35. They have lost five straight for the first time this season and 11 of 14 counting the completion of a suspended game last week.
With 22 games left to play, it’s mathematically possible the Sox could still compete for the third wild card. But the only realistic goal remaining would seem to be finishing above .500 for the first time since 2021.
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As manager Alex Cora said after the game, there’s no point in discussing the wild card race unless the Sox show they can play better than they have the last two weeks.
“We’re a .500 team. We’re playing .500 baseball. I don’t think that’s good enough,” Cora said.
Three of the team leaders, Chris Martin, Rob Refsnyder and Connor Wong, huddled together after the game to discuss what comes next. They’re trying to hold a young team together at a time of crisis.
“We know we can play better than this; we have for most of the season,” Wong said. “It’s obviously tough right now but we have to come back and fix this.”
The score doesn’t reflect it, but the Sox got back in the game on Wednesday, scoring three runs in the third inning to cut the lead to 4-3.
But potentially game-changing rallies in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings were ended by double plays. Shortstop Francisco Lindor, who had a fantastic series, turned two of them and started the other.
In a one-run game, Cora turned to Kenley Jansen in the eighth inning to keep the game close and because he needed the work after four days off.
Jansen put four of the five hitters he faced on base, walking the last two. It’s not unusual for closers to lose focus when there’s not a save on the line but this was the worst Jansen has looked all season.
Rich Hill came in and walked two more to force in two more runs. It was an embarrassing inning as the Mets scored four times on one hit and that was a single.
“Unacceptable,” Hill said. “No excuses for it.”
The Red Sox host the historically awful White Sox for three games this weekend. But don’t assume that will change the tone or end this wretched skid.
The teams split a four-game series in Chicago in June and the White Sox have Garrett Crochet scheduled to start on Saturday.
“It really doesn’t matter who we play,” Wong said. “We have to play better regardless. It starts with us.”
The Sox played with a sense of purpose after the first inning on Wednesday, putting together some good at-bats and getting back in the game.
“We talked about moving the ball around. Overall much better than the last 10 days,” Cora said.
But still it was not good enough. As was the case last September, the Sox are falling apart as the season winds down.
Martin, Refsnyder and Wong want to pick up the pieces, as do some other players. We’ll see how many others want to join them.
This isn’t the test the Red Sox wanted. But it’s a test all the same.
Peter Abraham can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @PeteAbe.
