Late Season Struggles Nothing New For Red Sox
BOSTON (CBS) - Watching the Red Sox struggle in Toronto on this week made me think back a few years ago when Boston dropped three straight against the Blue Jays in Toronto midway through September.
It was a stretch where Boston had lost four straight and five-of-six.
The losses saw the Sox AL East lead dwindle down to just 1-1/2 games.
After the sweep, here's what Terry Francona told reporters:
"We've got to fight through. How good of a team you end up being is how you handle adversity. We'll handle it. It's not a lot of fun to lose, it can get frustrating, but how you handle that frustration goes a long way towards how you end up doing."
Read: Dan Roche's Sports Blog
Here in 2011, the Sox are in a stretch where they've lost six of their last eight. They lead in the East is now a 2-1/2 game deficit to the New York Yankees.
While David Ortiz is hitting over .400, with Jacoby Ellsbury and Adrian Gonzalez in the .370's over the last week, Dustin Pedroia is at just .172 and Kevin Youkilis at .208. The pitching staff has an ERA of 6.08 in the last seven games.
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Playing 162 games is not easy. You are tested time and time again. The Sox are facing their share of adversity right now.
Meanwhile, the Tigers look like world-beaters, winners of six straight. The Yankees may have lost two in a row to the Orioles, but they have won seven of their last 10. Who knows, they may emerge when it all is said and done as the two best teams in the American League.
However, it is only early September. There's still a long time to go as far as getting ready for the play-offs is concerned.
And, by the way, the year the Sox were swept away by the Jays, they went down to Tampa and took two-of-three from the Rays.
Up next for the Sox? The Tampa Bay Rays.
That year the Sox were swept in Toronto in mid-September?
2007.
