It's getting to be about that time.
That place on the calendar where the weather gets a little bit warmer, the sunset hits over the Boston skyline just as the game starts, is finding its momentum, and people feel good about punctuating their weeks with a night at Fenway Park.
Friday night was a perfect example of it all.
The pomp and circumstance of Roger Clemens throwing out a first pitch to his son, Kody, who also happened to be in town as a member of the Twins. The out-of-nowhere reminder that runs from the home team is the ultimate jumper cable, with the Red Sox putting up four in the first. And, to top things off, the tops came off, with the Fenway bleachers celebrating the "Tarps Off" movement with a sea of bare bodies in the eighth inning.
It was all perfectly placed ... except for one thing. The Red Sox didn't win.
The most painful part of this equation for all those rooting for the home team was that this sad trombone seemingly came out of nowhere. Before Justin Slaten allowed earned runs for the first time this season - giving up four in the seventh - the Red Sox had only lost once when a starting pitcher completed as many as six innings. And, on top of it all, the Sox hadn't lost in any of their three previous Friday nights when wearing the "Fenway Greens" throughout this season.
But, as has been the case too often this season for these 22-28, life in the friendly confines just hasn't been what anyone signed up for.
The Red Sox are now 8-15 at Fenway after their 8-6 loss to the Wins, having gone 4-12 since winning three straight at home in mid-April. During that stretch, there hasn't been a single time the Sox have claimed back-to-back home victories.
Adding to the frustration this time around was the fact that the Red Sox had seemingly cleared their biggest roadblock to Fenway success: actually scoring runs. In that previous 15-game stretch, the hosts had only managed as many as four runs twice before this offensive explosion against Minnesota.
The last 16 games at Fenway - dating back to April 18 - have seen the Red Sox total the worst home record in the major leagues, with the team they're chasing in the American League East standings, the Rays, going 15-3 over that span.
Overall, there has been little to no advantage to the Red Sox in playing at the place where they play half their games. Not only do they have the worst home record of any team, but their 67 runs are the second-worst home offensive output in MLB. And home runs, which the Sox once again failed to claim any of Friday night? They have 11. Nobody in baseball has utilized their home confines in that respect worse than Craig Breslow's club.
As good as the Red Sox's pitching has been, when the opposition out-homers you, 18-11, in your home park, that is never a winning formula.
There is reason for some hope, starting with that four-run first inning. And it was just the second time this season the Red Sox had lost when leading by as many as four or more runs. They have also now scored four or more runs in the last three games after being held to three or fewer in the previous nine.
But time is ticking to make all this work, especially at Fenway.
The Red Sox need to figure out how quickly they can get back one of their best offensive weapons at Fenway, Roman Anthony, who is continuing to manage the discomfort of swinging a bat with his sprained right ring finger. And locking in on life without Trevor Story - who is out for seemingly a couple of months due to sports hernia surgery - is now a thing, with Marcelo Mayer officially sliding over to shortstop starting Sunday.
But, even with being just two games out of a Wild Card spot, it would behoove this club to start putting all its puzzle pieces together while still trying to add the obvious need for another middle-of-the-order bat.
Ceremonial first pitches, sunsets, and naked bodies will only go so far. Wins are the be-all, end-all, which, at the end of the night on Friday, the Red Sox were reminded of once again.
