10 thoughts about the slumping Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are returning to Fenway Park for a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays, starting Tuesday, after an abysmal --- and thoroughly embarrassing --- 2-8 road trip. Only a comeback, extra-inning win in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays and a 4-1 win against Detroit, thanks to a nice outing from Eduardo Rodriguez, kept the Sox from an 0-10 road trip.
Here are 10 thoughts about the Sox collapse:
1. Chris Sale will be finally returning from his Tommy John surgery on Saturday, Aug. 14 --- two years and one day after last pitching. Sale has looked solid in his rehab assignments, but it says here that his return will be far too little, far too late to salvage this season, which is fast slipping away and resembles the 1978 and 2011 collapses.
2. Red Sox baseball boss Chaim Bloom did a good job in assembling the team in the off season, but his lack of effective moves at the July 30 trade deadline leaves him the No. 1 guy to blame for this collapse. Instead of getting a decent reliever --- not necessarily a top closer --- he got two castoff relievers that Minnesota (Robles) and Pittsburgh (Davis) were only two glad to get rid of, and it’s no surprise that both have given up a ton of runs so far. And getting Kyle Schwarber from the Nationals, the supposed big move, has clearly backfired since he’s been on the injured list since July 3 and has just suffered another setback. And he’s still being touted as the savior for first base, when he played just a small part of one Major League game at first? Incredibly naïve.
3. Red Sox owners don’t care at all about the Sox’ string of defeats as they’re rolling in the dough with fans still filling up Fenway, but if the Sox continue to blow games and lose more than they win, how many fans will risk COVID to jam Friendly Fenway? But don’t cry for John Henry --- maybe the most disliked Boston owner despite his four World Series titles.
4. Sox manager Alex Cora did the right thing to pull Martin Perez from the starting rotation; now he has to yank Garrett Richards, whose arrogance is only exceeded by his ineptness. The Sox gave him a 7-2 lead on Sunday (Aug. 8) against the Jays after he gave up his usual first-inning run. And what does he do? Issue a walk with none out in the fifth, immediately followed by a mammoth homer to pull the Jays to within 7-4. That proved the beginning of the end as the game was 8-6 after seven innings, setting up the game-winning three-run homer by George Springer in the eighth.
5. Matt Barnes had a tough weekend, giving up two game-winning homers, but don’t be too tough on Barnes, who was called into his third straight game in the eighth inning Sunday. It’s a day that the Sox could have been up 10-2 or more and shouldn’t have had to bring in Barnes if Richards could pitch even half as as well as he complains. He's a champion whiner!
6. The Sox should release Richards, who admits he can’t pitch without putting the illegal sticky stuff on the ball. He’s the worst Sox starter since Matt Young.
7. Marwin Gonzalez should be released. He can’t hit, his defense stinks and his base-running gaffe Saturday night was atrocious and inexcusable.
8. While they’re at it, get rid of Franchy Corderro, who is inept at the plate and in the field. And Danny Santana, hurt again, is no better.
9. The Sox can still recover, but it will take a complete turnaround, and who among the fans still believe they’re capable of doing that?
10. Another week of losing baseball, and it’ll be “Wait until next year or 2023, or 2024, if 2022 doesn’t “fit into” Chaim Bloom’s plans for success. We’re not even Tampa Bay North; we’re the old inept Red Sox who always collapse in August. It's a great tradition that can't be beat!