Roche: Only One Reason For Red Sox To Panic
BOSTON (CBS) - It seems like it happens every season at this same time.
Early September, and for some reason it seems to happen when the Red Sox are in Toronto.
Sox fans wake up this morning to find their team in a bit of disarray.
They are 2-1/2 games behind the Yankees in the AL East and 7 games up on Tampa Bay (7-1/2 on the Angels) in the AL Wild Card chase.
Seemingly in fine shape, but perhaps there is some doubt starting to creep in.
In fact, I got a call Monday afternoon from a colleague and he asked the usual question, "Can they blow this thing?"
My answer?
Nope.
This Red Sox team is too good and has been for a long time.
The offense has been dominating all season long and there's no reason why Ellsbury, Pedroia, Gonzalez, Youkilis, Ortiz, etc, can't keep the line moving.
And, there's no reason why Carl Crawford can't get it going this month.
They are deep, which means someone may indeed slump over the final 22 games, but not everybody will slump.
However, as Sox fans wake up this morning there has to be some concern over the state of the starting rotation.
Or should I say, there is one concern when it comes to the starting rotation.
Josh Beckett.
The quote is scary from Beckett after he left Monday's 1-0 loss in Toronto in the 4th inning.
Beckett said his right ankle, "locked up and then it popped in and out of socket."
Now, he also cautioned that he has no idea what the injury is or how severe it could be, but there are just over three weeks of regular season baseball left.
Beckett is a huge piece of the puzzle if the Sox are going to win another World Series title.
They can certainly still do it, but it would be somewhat of a miracle as they try to grind it out against any AL team or the Phillies.
We all saw 2003 with Florida and 2007 with the Sox.
Beckett can be the difference-maker.
And, we saw it again in 2008 when the Sox lost in 7 games to Tampa Bay.
Beckett was as game as they come, but if he was even close to his postseason self, then the Sox may have three titles since 2004.
Now, we saw Curt Schilling battle through a severe ankle injury in 2004, but that seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime thing.
And by the way, Terry Francona, Curt Young, and Theo Epstein can figure out the 3-4 starters in the rotation.
John Lackey, Erik Bedard, Tim Wakefield, Alfredo Aceves, etc. can all help get it done.
Losing Beckett, or not having him 90-100 percent, would be devastating.
We may know more soon, but then again we may not.
Beckett and the Sox have been pretty good at downplaying any injuries that the gritty righthander has had over his 5-plus seasons in Boston.
Let's just simply hope for the best.
