Nathan Eovaldi wants to stay
Prior to what would be another demoralizing Red Sox loss to the Brewers - this one coming in the form of a 9-4 defeat Saturday afternoon - one Red Sox player looked up at the clubhouse television, where the Rays were taking on the Indians.
They went on to make the case for keeping this Red Sox team intact, pointing to all the games it still had with those teams in front of them in the standings. Then, just as the convincing narrative had been concluded, the Rays scored, taking a lead. A look of disgust came over the player.
Such is life for these Red Sox. It's getting tougher and tougher to make the argument every player to a man so desperately wants to preach - that peeling off players from this roster is not the right way to go.
The Red Sox sit 4 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot, two games under .500. Knowing what was at stake coming out of the All-Star break, the Sox have gone 2-7 since their return, being outscored 71-31.
Out in Los Angeles during the All-Star festivities, J.D. Martinez told this to WEEI.com: "I think we have a very competitive team. I think we’re still in it, 100 percent. If I was allowed to bet, I would bet on us because I’m very confident. I think we’re right there. We’re in the mix and we’ve been playing terribly for the last two weeks. That’s not us. We’ve been dealing with some injuries. You saw what happened with Trevor and Strahm, and then we get Chris back and Chris goes down.
"I’m just confident. I just believe in these guys. We’re such a talented team. We have a great lineup. I would put our lineup up against anyone out there. It’s just for us it’s getting healthy. If we get healthy and make a move or two at the break, I think we’ll be fine. All you have to do is get it. You saw it last year."
This is what he told the Boston Globe after Saturday's loss: “It’s tough, dude. It feels like we’re fighting for our lives, you know? Fighting to keep the band together.”
They are losing the fight.
The words from Martinez do paint the picture. For a team that has found itself in such an uncomfortable pattern of underperformance, you aren't going to find a group that so desperately wants to be given a mulligan.
They want their last dance. The problem is that it's becoming impossible to envision a scenario where Chaim Bloom doubles down on this team, with what it has ahead of it.
The idea that the likes of Martinez, Nathan Eovaldi and Christian Vazquez can team with Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers to muster up some of that 2018 magic they built their relationship on simply seems more and more far-fetched by the day.
Yes, the Red Sox do get a chance to play the likes of the Ray, Orioles and Blue Jays a bunch. But there has been no evidence this season that they can actually win those games.
And there is certainly talent eventually coming off the injured list. But will it all be soon enough? Trevor Story. Kiké Hernandez. Chris Sale. All seem a ways away. Even waiting for Devers to return the day after the trade deadline seems like an eternity.
Then there are the guys who are actually playing and their current existence. Eovaldi and Martinez don't look themselves. (The Red Sox' designated hitter doesn't have a hit since returning from LA.) And other than Alex Verdugo, Vazquez and Bogaerts, not a lot of teammates are picking up the slack.
It's mind-blowing that no Red Sox starter has managed to win a game since Rich Hill beat Cleveland on June 26. It's also hard to fathom that has good as a team could be in June, it can be equally as horrific the next month, with Alex Cora's club now carrying a 5-17 mark since July 5.
Remember that historic collapse in September 2011? Well, the Red Sox' record during the first 22 games of that month might ring a bell - yup, 5-17.
The reasons for the Red Sox' current lot in life aren't difficult to decipher. Injuries. Poor roster construction. Underperformance from what were supposed to be complementary players.
Whatever the case, this is where they reside.
It sure seems like Martinez is on the verge of losing that bet he so desperately wanted to make.
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