It was the beginning to the 2001 season and the Red Sox had discovered that their star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra was going to be out of action for a while due to a wrist injury.
No problem. They had Mike Lansing.
Sure, the infielder was supposed to be a supporting character on that team, but maybe he would be able to rediscover some of that offensive promise displayed while serving as a starter in Colorado a few years before. And, what do you know ... he did ... for a while.
The Red Sox went 11-4 to begin that season with Lansing capably manning Garciaparra's position. But then you know what happened? Reality kicks in. It usually does.
When it was all said and done, the Red Sox went 38-38 when Lansing manned shortstop, with our own Lou Merloni making the next most starts (36) at the position for the 2001 team.
Lesson learned. The patchwork stuff will only last so long, especially once teams like the Rays come to town.
The good times that had come with those Worcester players coming up and filling in the COVID-induced gaps has dissipated thanks in large part to the Sox' 11-10 loss Monday.
For example, second baseman Taylor Motter, claimed off waivers just last week, made two defensive miscues - airmailing a relay to third and dropping a sure out at second - that cost the Red Sox at least two runs.
And while it was somewhat excusable that Alex Verdugo dropped what should have been the inning-ending fourth-inning fly ball, succumbing to the sun and allowing four runs to score, it's hard to ignore that Kiké Hernandez has become one of the best centerfielders in the game and has not been available.
And perhaps if Verdugo was playing left or right field, he would have offered the backup that J.D. Martinez and Hunter Renfroe didn't when an Austin Meadows' 10th-inning ball off the wall resulted in an inside-the-park homer.
In case you missed it, the Red Sox have also left double-digit baserunners on base in each of their last three games (10, 12, 12). That's a first for this team. Xander Bogaerts, Christian Arroyo and Hernandez certainly would seem to be potential solutions to that problem.
Then there is the need for late-inning relief help.
Whether or not he is the closer, the Red Sox desperately can use the return of a good Matt Barnes. The same goes for Josh Taylor, who came back from close contact quarantine to pitch for the first time since Aug. 29.
Tampa Bay. The White Sox. Seattle. That group is a collective 69 games over .500. That is what is staring at the Red Sox for the next couple of weeks.
The good news for the Red Sox is that this week figures to see the return of a fair chunk of the cavalry. Good thing. That was a reminder offered by one Labor Day loss.
"It was a great bad game, all the way to the last hitter," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. "It wasn't great as far as throwing to the bases, backing up guys, putting guys away. It was great that we had a chance to tie the game or win it at the end, but at the same time we can't give a big league team more than 27 outs, and we did. Credit to them. They put the ball in play. They were relentless. They put on good at-bats, going the other way. But we still didn't make plays. That's what cost us."
