For Boston Red Sox fans, there are now three certainties in life:-death, taxes and an annual second-place finish behind the New York Yankees.
There was hope that this could be the year-for the first time in 11 years. It looked as though the Sox had a chance to come out on top in the American League East. July began with a four-game lead over the Bronx Bombers, and with Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui sidelined, the Yanks were in no condition to stage a comeback.
And yet somehow just two months later, the Red Sox emerge from a dreadful August with an eight-game deficit in the East, all but mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. The numbers are painful;-Boston's 9-21 record for the month tied a major league record, as no team has ever lost more than 21 games in a month it began with a division lead.
The beginning of the great unraveling for the Red Sox came on Aug. 1, as veteran catcher and team captain Jason Varitek was sidelined with cartilage damage in his left knee. Not only was manager Terry Francona instantly missing the regular sixth hitter in his batting order, but Varitek's absence also took an immediate toll on the pitching staff.
General Manager Theo Epstein scrambled in early August to find an extra catcher to fill his roster. By Aug. 4, he had landed a reliable veteran in former Baltimore Oriole Javy Lopez, and alongside Varitek's backup Doug Mirabelli, Francona has had a two-man platoon behind the plate.
However, both Lopez and Mirabelli failed to hit over .200 in Varitek's absence, and without the captain's leadership, the young pitchers on Boston's staff began to suffer. Four rookie hurlers-Jon Lester, Craig Hansen, Manny Delcarmen and closer Jonathan Papelbon-all saw their ERAs skyrocket in August.
And while inconsistency plagued the young Boston pitchers, the veterans had problems of their own, namely staying healthy. Tim Wakefield spent the entire month of August after being sent to the disabled list on Jul. 18 with a stress fracture in his ribcage. Matt Clement has been missing since Jun. 15 with a strained shoulder. Ace Curt Schilling, one of the more consistently healthy pitchers on the staff until recently, was scratched from Monday's start against the Chicago White Sox.
The youngsters on the staff have had their recent health problems as well. Lester, a rookie southpaw who started the season 7-2, was diagnosed last week with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a treatable form of lymphoma, and will miss the remainder of the season. Papelbon left Friday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays with a strained shoulder, and he is now expected to miss a week of play.
Position players have had their issues as well. In addition to Varitek, right fielder Trot Nixon missed the entire month of August with a strained bicep, and shortstop Alex Gonzalez suffered a strained oblique. Slugging outfielder Manny Ramirez has been sidelined by a sore knee as well, and his younger counterpart Wily Mo Pe?±a has had a sore wrist. All five players-Varitek, Nixon, Gonzalez, Ramirez and Pe?±a-are making their comebacks now as September opens, but it's a case of too little too late, as the Yankees are running away with the AL East title.
With the Red Sox all but eliminated from the playoff chase, it makes sense not to rush the return of David Ortiz, the team's designated hitter and legitimate MVP candidate in the AL. Ortiz was rushed back to Boston in the middle of a West Coast road trip and was sent to Massachusetts General Hospital because of an irregular heartbeat. Despite a heart monitor, Ortiz wants to play, and will soon be back in uniform. But it appears that the Sox are out of the hunt, so perhaps a strong September 2006 is not a top priority right now.
Epstein appears to be looking to the future, as two of his farm system's top prospects-middle infielder Dustin Pedroia and outfielder David Murphy-have both been promoted to the majors and are being given regular playing time. Epstein has unloaded veteran hurler David Wells as well, perhaps to acquire Padres catching prospect George Kottaras, a potential successor to Varitek.
All signs are indicating that Epstein and Francona have given up on 2006, resigning to a second place finish behind Joe Torre's Yankees. But with the end of 2006 comes a chance to prepare for 2007, and with a strong crop of prospects both on the mound and at the plate, Epstein appears to be well prepared for the future. Dethroning of the Evil Empire will have to wait another year.
