The Red Sox just suffered a 2-1 loss Sunday to the White Sox, with the game ending when Garrett Whitlock couldn't quite get through his second outing in any many days unscathed.
Leury Garcia's walk-off homer was the punctation for a series that saw three straight one-run games.
But in this COVID-induced roller coaster of a month, Alex Cora is heading into the last three weeks with his glass half full.
Starting pitcher Nick Pivetta came out of quarantine to turn in one of his really good Nick Pivetta outings, giving up just one unearned run in his 5 1/3 innings. And across the board, Cora relayed the feeling that his bunch had been the gritty, gutty group that is up to these sort of tasks.
"We’re playing good baseball," the Red Sox manager said. "The last three games, they have felt like the playoffs. The at-bats, the intensity, the moves. Obviously, we don’t win the series but we played well. We’ll be ready. We’ve got Eduardo (Rodriguez), Nate (Eovaldi) and we’ll go from there. Obviously, bullpen-wise we’ll see where we’re at. We’ll see how the guys did today and reassess our situation. But we’re playing good baseball and I think offensively we’ll be a lot better. (White Sox starter Lance) Lynn was really good for five innings. He was outstanding, to be honest with you. We just didn’t score enough runs. But we feel good going into Seattle."
They have no choice. There is no time for any of these teams to feel bad about themselves.
So, with all that optimism, what are the Red Sox realistically staring down at in these last 17 games?
For starters, let's look at the schedule ...
They at Seattle (3), home against the Orioles (3), off day, two at Fenway vs. the Mets, off day, three home games against the Yankees, off day, finishing with six on the road against Baltimore and the Nationals.
The first takeway is that there shouldn't be any more need or resting regulars (as Cora attempted to do with Xander Bogaerts Sunday before putting him up to pinch-hit). Those four off days should guarantee that.
The three off days before the Yankees series should also allow to temper the pain of going without Chris Sale while the Sox' ace goes through COVID protocol.
Then there is what the other postseason contenders are facing ...
The Red Sox currently sit virtually tied with the Blue Jays for the top spot in the Wild Card race, with the Yankees sitting one game out and both Oakland Seattle sitting three games in back of the current Wild Card leaders.
Some might argue that the way the Blue Jays are playing it doesn't matter who they play, but as we witnessed with the Yankees it can certainly change the narrative in a hurry. Here are what the Red Sox' top two competitors are looking at:
Toronto: It faces the Rays six times, the Yankees for three at home and then get the opportunity to feast on the Twins bizarrely for seven late-season meetings. The Jays finish with three at Rogers Centre against the Orioles.
Yankees: Like the Blue Jays, they only have two off days the rest of the way. Their next 10 games, however, come against the Twins, Orioles, Indians and Rangers. The last three series, however, makes up for the scheduling soft spot, going on the road to play both the Red Sox and Blue Jays before finishing things off with three games at home against the Rays.
One thing to note about the Red Sox' slate is the potential discomfort that might come with that final series in Washington. Remember, there will be no designated hitter, not only forcing one of the Sox' primary bats out of the starting lineup but most likely necessitating an additional reliance on relievers.
Speaking of relievers ...
If you want to look at how the Red Sox' roster can feel a bit less patchwork, Matt Barnes' return would go a long way. Even if he doesn't close, a productive Barnes - who may rejoin the Red Sox as soon as Monday - should have a huge impact on how Cora can manage. (Put it this way, in that scenario Whitlock isn't called upon to squeeze three outs out of the ninth.)
Even with Barnes, the Red Sox still need at least one more late-inning arm. Josh Taylor is showing signs he is back to his first-half form. Darwinzon Hernandez has looked solid in his two outings since returning. Hansel Robles has been a lot more good than bad over his last six appearances (only 1 of his 5 inherited runners have scored, while not giving up a run and just 4 baserunners). And Ryan Brasier is a guy who has the stuff and has been there before, which are both of value at this point in the game.
Perhaps the biggest key in the coming days will be the Red Sox getting the best versions of Rodriguez, Eovaldi, Tanner Houck and Pivetta. It's simplistic, but hard to ignore. It has to start with Monday's starter, ERod, who will try to avenge the last time he pitched at Safeco Field in that horrific season-opening series two years ago (4 1/3 innings, 6 runs).
The lineup? Don't look now but it appears, other than Christian Arroyo, the Red Sox have everyone at their disposal. One of the key elements of this equation figures to be J.D. Martinez's back, which has sidelined him the last two games.
We said it throughout the first few months: This is an imperfect team facing a plausible path to the postseason. That hasn't changed.