Who's to blame if Red Sox miss playoffs?
Red Sox fans must feel nauseous with this rollercoaster start to the second half of the season.
If you look at their Fangraphs playoff odds, you can see the peaks and valleys even better. It started at 52.4% before the All-Star break but now, after Monday’s 5-4 loss to the Astros, it’s down to 29%.
Craig Breslow’s trade deadline moves were supposed to add much-needed stability to a team with its fair share of ups and downs. But a few weeks removed, it seems their marginal bullpen additions were far too small to ensure a playoff spot for Boston.
“It's so frustrating because they do this same thing where they pull you back in,” Greg Hill said on Tuesday’s edition of The Greg Hill Show.
“They struggled right after the All-Star break, and then we're like, ‘OK, put a fork in them,’ and then suddenly they win a couple series, it's like, ‘OK, they might be back in it.’”
Hill believes this Astros series may be the final straw for the Red Sox.
“This series, I hate to be dramatic, but if you do not find a way to win this series, forget about it,” he said.
Jermaine Wiggins agreed with Hill saying, “Man, let it go, just got to let it go.”
“I think when you look at the Red Sox, the expectations were, coming into the season, not very high. They’re doing better than we expected,” Wiggy said.
“But it seems like…there is no more wind left at sea.”
Hill believed this run for the Red Sox was akin to false advertising and that the team hadn’t been as 'in it' or relevant as fans thought. He attributes this false advertising to a trade deadline that was overhyped.
“I thought that going into the deadline, you locked down Alex Cora for three years and you did some addition. It wasn’t the splashy addition that some wanted. My expectation was that it was a baseball team full of young guys with a lot of passion and desire to be in it in September,” Hill said.
Wiggy disagreed, saying that the Sox are still in line for a run to the postseason. But Hill only thinks they can stay in it if they win this series against Houston.
“They’re in it if they win this series. I guess then, fine, so you’ve got to win the next [two] down there against the Astros. Thoughts and prayers on getting that done.”
Chris Curtis blamed the Red Sox’s playoff chances on their bullpen acquisitions at the deadline, specifically Lucas Sims, who was acquired from the Cincinnati Reds.
“What about Lucas Sims, the guy that was brought in by Breslow? Obviously, we don't watch a lot of Reds bullpen action, but he's pitched 11 innings, allowed six earned runs and cost you a couple games,” Curtis said.
“If you win the games he cost you, you’re 67-57 and you’re two games out [of the Wild Card].”
Hill agreed that the bullpen additions were disastrous for the Red Sox.
“He is the reason that some would refer to, he and his ilk, as the blow-pen, for the Boston Red Sox. I think they have 12 blown saves since the All-Star break,” Hill said.
Did the move to extend Cora have anything to do with Red Sox fans having falsely high expectations for the team? Curtis and Hill believe so.
“The Cora defense is there because we now believe in him long term. He's here for three more years, he's invested,” Curtis said. “But if Cora didn't have the extension, wouldn't we be talking about another post-deadline swoon?”
Hill went harder than Curtis on the topic of Cora’s extension.
“That's why the ownership group, I think, feels like they threw you a bone on Alex Cora, and so who cares what happens when it comes to the season?” Hill said.
“I think they feel like they did you solid and that you're gonna stare at that shiny object, and you're not gonna pay attention to what's going on on the diamond.”
