Jessica Belmosto

It’s August and I haven’t blogged about the Red Sox at all. What good would an angry, irrational blog do? Nothing. Plus, if you follow me on twitter, you get that during games. The first game of the double header sent any rational I had out the window. It’s gone. That small glimmer of hope I had for this team making the Wild Card is gone.

I’m officially out on the Red Sox. They have no chance and quite frankly, they don’t deserve it. The entire pitching staff is joke. You’ve got Rick Porcello throwing a temper tantrum after giving up one run. Eduardo Rodriguez gives up a grand slam and then some to the Yankees. Then you have Chris Sale mouthing off when he’s the only one to blame. Not to be dramatic but where’s the accountability? A manager who goes out and argues balls and strikes doesn’t seem like the best leader. Then again, what do I know.

Red Sox acquired RHP, Andrew Cashner from the Baltimore Orioles. Cashner is 1-3 with a 6.94 ERA. That was the only trade the Red Sox made. Somehow a Baltimore Oriole was going to come in and save this struggling pitching staff.

The bullpen has been a revolving door since the departure of closer, Craig Kimbrel. Matt Barnes assumed the role and struggled to perform at a consistent level. Bullpen arm, Heath Hembree didn’t earn the nickname Home run Hembree out of nowhere. Does anyone remember how dominant Ryan Braiser was last postseason? He allowed 0 runs in two out of three appearances. We haven’t seen much of him this season. He’s back in Pawtucket, doing seemingly well. If you asked me to pick Marcus Walden or Josh Smith out of a lineup I don’t think I could do it. Colton Brewer is another bullpen arm that maybe doesn’t get enough credit. He’s pitched 47 innings and has a 4.4 ERA. The bullpen isn’t the main problem here.

The starting rotation… Again, maybe it’s because their appearances are spread out and there’s a heavier emphasis on the bullpen. Chris Sale has not been Chris Sale. His velocity and pitch control are those of a minor leaguer. Maybe I’m being harsh there but everyone knows how high of a standard Sale is held to. Going into game 1 on Saturday, his ERA was a 4.26. His career was a flat 3. Speaks to how well this season is going for him. You lost Eovaldi to the pen and you never know what you’re going to get from Porcello and Price. Andrew Cashner is just a bum. Not sure what Dealin’ Davey thought he was doing there but it certainly wasn’t it!

The Red Sox need real leadership. Xander Bogaerts is a poster child of that. He speaks to the media after every single loss. No matter how bad of a loss it is, he’s there to address it. While I understand Cora’s frustrations, he needs to start being a manager. He can’t be “soft serve” with the team. I don’t know how he can put the fear of God into this club house,( especially when Chris Sale is in there ) but he needs to. Alex Cora is out here arguing balls and strikes. Dad’s at Little League games know not to do that. It’s time to crackdown and show your players you mean business.

It’s hard to frustrate me so much that you leave me speechless or struggling to form coherent thoughts. Somehow the Red Sox have managed to do just that. Maybe once the season winds down I’ll come back and put actual stats in and write about the beautiful offense and how they were royally screwed by the pitching. But for now, I’ll crack open a White Claw and embrace myself for a messy game 2 of this double header.