Treading Water in August?

[Dojji]

I remember reading somewhere that August is historically the Red Sox' worst month. I'll see if i can dig it up.

 

 

It certainly was in 07. That was the month that made the division race much more interesting than it had to be.

[User Name]

From the top of my head in 2006 it was the month where they fell from contention, and in 2005 cost them the division.

[sk7326]

It is hard to be great every month - it's baseball, even the best records would (if you scaled their record for the number of games) barely qualify for the NFL playoffs or get a top 4 seed in the NBA playoffs. Unless you are the 1998 Yankees (114-48) or 2001 Mariners (116-46), there is going to be some stretches of slogging along. That they have avoided any really bad stretches has been their hallmark all season.

[VA Sox Fan]

From the top of my head in 2006 it was the month where they fell from contention, and in 2005 cost them the division.

 

Was that when Varitek broke his ankle? That's my memory of the 2006 season being over.

[rjortiz]

The only thing that stands out from 2006 was that ridiculous diving attempt by Gabe Kapler against the Yankees.

[VA Sox Fan]

The only thing that stands out from 2006 was that ridiculous diving attempt by Gabe Kapler against the Yankees.

 

I remember Tek rounding 2nd, falling and leaving with a broken ankle and being extremely sad b/c to me, the season was over.

[User Name]

I remember Tek rounding 2nd, falling and leaving with a broken ankle and being extremely sad b/c to me, the season was over.

 

Lester's cancer discovery, the Boston massacre.....that season was a clusterf***.

[VA Sox Fan]

Lester's cancer discovery, the Boston massacre.....that season was a clusterf***.

 

Ok. Remembering more now. Hadn't thought about until it was brought up in this thread. Total Cluster!!!!!

[Bellhorn04]

Lester's cancer discovery, the Boston massacre.....that season was a clusterf***.

 

Jesus Christ...you made me look up the Massacre. On Friday Aug. 18 we lost a doubleheader by score of 12-4 and 14-11. The next day we lost 13-5. The MFY's scored 39 runs in 2 days.

[Thunder]

Was that when Varitek broke his ankle? That's my memory of the 2006 season being over.

 

I have no memory of the 2006 season. Vague memories of 2004, 1 memory of the 05 playoffs, and increasing memories of 2007, but none of 2006.

[VA Sox Fan]

Jesus Christ...you made me look up the Massacre. On Friday Aug. 18 we lost a doubleheader by score of 12-4 and 14-11. The next day we lost 13-5. The MFY's scored 39 runs in 2 days.

 

Unfortunately, I remember that weekend well. Sucked beyond belief at the time.

[VA Sox Fan]

Just looked it up. Tek injured his KNEE, not ankle 7/31/2006. Season ending surgery. Edited August 27, 2013 by VA Sox Fan

[BornToRun]

I have no memory of the 2006 season. Vague memories of 2004, 1 memory of the 05 playoffs, and increasing memories of 2007, but none of 2006.

Lucky SOB

[sk7326]

Lucky SOB

 

Oh whatever. I have memories before that. When Aaron Boone hit the home run - it was the first time I thought I will never see the Red Sox win it. Obviously made 2004 taste so much better - has been hard to really get mad after 2 titles in 5 years. I saw a much drier well.

[Bellhorn04]

Just looked it up. Tek injured his KNEE, not ankle 7/31/2006. Season ending surgery.

 

Leading to the brief and nasty Javy Lopez era.

[a700hitter]

Leading to the brief and nasty Javy Lopez era.

We thought that he was a defensively challenged catcher who could hit. He was a disaster. Did he hit over the Mendoza line for us?

[Bellhorn04]

We thought that he was a defensively challenged catcher who could hit. He was a disaster. Did he hit over the Mendoza line for us?

 

Nope. 190/215/270, for the rare sub-.500 OPS.

[Spitball]

Leading to the brief and nasty Javy Lopez era.

 

But the Sox had Javier Lopez pitching and Javier Lopez catching. It created great confusion in the opposing dugouts.

[sk7326]

It certainly was in 07. That was the month that made the division race much more interesting than it had to be.

 

Yeah they were mucking along until the Buchholz no-hitter, which is an arbitrary endpoint granted - but felt like a lot of weight came off of their shoulders

[a700hitter]

But the Sox had Javier Lopez pitching and Javier Lopez catching. It created great confusion in the opposing dugouts.

And neither one could hit.

[Thunder]

And neither one could hit.

 

If they played in the NL, the opposition would get TWO automatic outs in the bottom of the order.

[sk7326]

Lopez was a solid lottery ticket sort of trade - Red Sox gave virtually nothing, and Lopez at least "HAD" been an excellent hitting catcher. Bat speed was gone, but dem's the breaks.

[Dojji]

And neither one could hit.

 

You would rather have seen them trot out Doug Mirabelli and Kevin Cash for the rest of the season? I mean sure the Lopez move bombed but at least you have to admit that you know why they tried it.

 

The team was screwed well before the Massacre. The Massacre was simply when everyone had to admit it. We never really had the rotation to contend in the first place that year. Even if the rotation had played up to its listed ability you still might have seen one starter in our rotation with an ERA of under 4. Big Papi's absurd year kept us in the race far longer than we had any real right to be.

Edited August 28, 2013 by Dojji

[a700hitter]

You would rather have seen them trot out Doug Mirabelli and Kevin Cash for the rest of the season? I mean sure the Lopez move bombed but at least you have to admit that you know why they tried it.

 

The team was screwed well before the Massacre. The Massacre was simply when everyone had to admit it. We never really had the rotation to contend in the first place that year. Even if the rotation had played up to its listed ability you still might have seen one starter in our rotation with an ERA of under 4. Big Papi's absurd year kept us in the race far longer than we had any real right to be.

I've put that in my review mirror. I wasn't debating the merits of getting Lopez. I don't even remember what other catchers were around at the time. I was just commenting on how he sucks. Everything isn't a debate about the FO. The guy sucked it hard. That's all I was saying.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Sox are 13-11 in August, with 4 games left (2 v BAL, 2 v ChiSox). If they can go 3-1 in the final 4, a 16-12 record in August is damn good, particularly after the horrible start.

[a700hitter]

Sox are 13-11 in August, with 4 games left (2 v BAL, 2 v ChiSox). If they can go 3-1 in the final 4, a 16-12 record in August is damn good, particularly after the horrible start.

They came up big everytime things looked like they were going bad and refused to go into a downward slide. They are a mentally tough bunch that has a strong will to win.

[SoxFanForsyth]

They came up big everytime things looked like they were going bad and refused to go into a downward slide. They are a mentally tough bunch that has a strong will to win.

 

Even if they do go on a 4 game slide at some point between now and the end of the season, it's still absolutely ridiculous that through the first 133 games, they haven't had a losing streak of more than 3 games.

[Orange Juiced]

Even if they do go on a 4 game slide at some point between now and the end of the season, it's still absolutely ridiculous that through the first 133 games, they haven't had a losing streak of more than 3 games.

 

That's what having a good, deep rotation will do for you, even if you don't have a King Felix or Kershaw in the group.

[mvp 78]

Sox are 13-11 in August, with 4 games left (2 v BAL, 2 v ChiSox). If they can go 3-1 in the final 4, a 16-12 record in August is damn good, particularly after the horrible start.

 

Plus no Buchholz, no Hanrahan, no Bailey, no Miller.

 

It says a lot about the depth of the organization, the FA's brought in and the coaching staff.

[a700hitter]

Even if they do go on a 4 game slide at some point between now and the end of the season, it's still absolutely ridiculous that through the first 133 games, they haven't had a losing streak of more than 3 games.

It is especially remarkable because we haven't had a stopper in the rotation since Buch went down.