It's time to appreciate Clayton Kershaw
Trevor Story wasn't wrong after the Red Sox's 5-3 loss to the A's Sunday.
“Well, we know what we've done," the shortstop said. "We know we can do. We've played some of the best baseball, I feel like, all season long, over a good stretch of time. And I think that's where we get our confidence from.
"We know how good we can be, and we've proven that. But also, it's time to do it when the time is right. And that's now."
Correct. The time is now.
The Red Sox have bobbed and weaved their way through this season, often emerging from depths with solutions nobody saw coming. With nine games left in the regular season, they desperately need some of those solutions.
Alex Cora's club sits just 1 1/2 games ahead of the Guardians for the final wild card spot, residing one game in back of both Houston and Seattle and now a daunting three behind the Yankees.
A few weeks ago, it was the dream of catching Toronto for the American League East lead. A week ago, it was the continued hope that they might be able to secure home field in a wild-card meeting with the Yanks. Now? It's simply about survival.
"We control our own destiny," the Red Sox manager said. "So go to Tampa, win a series. That’s the way I see it."
Deciphering that destiny now the suddenly convuluted issue.
There are glimpses that solutions are actually available, as was the case when Payton Tolle came out of the bullpen for the first time and threw three standout innings. The rookie struck out the side in his first inning, finishing off the frame with what he thought was the first 100 mph pitch of his life, punching out Nick Kurtz. The moment led to a wave of optimism and an enormous smile from Tolle as he descended into the Red Sox's dugout.
But, as has been the case with the Red Sox as a whole, ultimately, there wasn't quite enough to truly define this as a difference-maker. Tolle's pitch was 99.7 mph as measured by Statcast.
Almost, not quite. That has been the Red Sox's world as of late. That has to change.
The Red Sox's have now gone 5-10 in their last 15 home games after running off a streak of 25-6 from the beginning of June to mid-August. During that stretch, Alex Bregman has totaled an OPS of .445 while going 8-for-57 (.140) at Fenway. Ceddanne Rafaela has been in a similar boat at home, compiling a batting average of .163 and OPS of .479.
Cora continues to juggle things in order to find the sweet spot for how this team is going to find its footing without Roman Anthony (and, until further notice, Wilyer Abreu). But not enough answers have been forthcoming.
Times ticking.
The Guardians? They seem to have found the sweet spot. They are 13-4 since the beginning of the month with a team ERA of 2.38. The Mariners are feeling the same vibe, going 11-5 while totaling the second-best OPS in baseball (.828).
There is still time for the Red Sox to join the club. But, as Story noted, it better start now.