Roche: There's Still Time
BOSTON (CBS) - The way things go for Terry Francona these days is simple.
Come to the park, figure out who can play, meet with media and give them medical updates, manage the game.
From Ellsbury to Youkilis to Ortiz to Jenks to Buchholz......we are certainly going through the "dog days of August" with this Red Sox team.
Yet, they continue to respond like good teams do.
Meanwhile, as we sit on the 30-plus mark of games to go in the regular season there are lots of possibilities as far as how things are going to play out come October.
So, don't dismiss a guy like JD Drew, who begins a rehab assignment on Friday and should be back around September 1st. This is a guy who has had a nightmarish final season in Boston hitting just .219 with a .622 OPS in 77 games. However, this is also a player who can rise to the occasion in the postseason as we witnessed first hand in 2007 with some huge hits.
We also don't know about a guy like Bobby Jenks, who has battled injuries all year but had 4 saves in the 2005 play-offs as the White Sox won the World Series.
Read: Dan Roche's Sports Blog
Or, how about Carl Crawford. It's been a tough start to his Red Sox career as he entered the week hitting just .251....42 point below his career average. The $142-million man is hitting 7th in a banged up line-up. Most people thought he'd hit anywhere from 2nd to 5th this season. Nope. However, he's the type of kid that could carry and ignite a team come postseason time.
It's amazing how tough it is to stay healthy and consistent over the course of a big league season.
But the beauty of the game lies in the fact that all the Sox need to do is secure a postseason spot. Yes, I would like to see home field advantage secured, but if they get one of 4 spots secured in the American League, I'll take my chances. Give me Lester, Beckett, Bedard, and Lackey with the Sox offense and I'll take my chances.
And, don't forget there's a long way to go so that we have no idea which players will rise to the occasion come October.
