Red Sox Players’ Underperforming Comes Into Focus on Day Where Manager Gets All the Blame

by abournenesn

Aug 15, 2012

Red Sox Players' Underperforming Comes Into Focus on Day Where Manager Gets All the Blame

Editor’s note: NESN.com is going to tell the story of the 2012 Red Sox in Bobby Valentine’s words. Each game day, we will select the best Valentine quote that sums up the day for the Red Sox.

As bad as Josh Beckett was on Tuesday evening, the Red Sox’ 7-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles’ could hardly be pinned on the 32-year-old right-hander’s shoulders.

Not when the Sox offense only provided one run of support. Not when nine runners were left in scoring position. Not when Boston went 1-for-10 on the game with runner’s in scoring position.

Had Beckett been good enough to throw a shutout on Tuesday, he might have had a chance. But barring that kind of perfection, there was little Beckett or anyone else could have done to prevent the Red Sox from dropping the first game of a do-or-die series to the wild card-leading Orioles.

This is absolutely not to let Beckett off the hook, as he was booed off the mound for his third straight start (this time by Boston fans joining the Sox on the road), and there’s basically no way to put a positive spin on six runs allowed in 5 1/3 innings when you’re in the kind of position the Red Sox are in, and you’ve had the kind of season Beckett has suffered through.

Nonetheless, Boston manager Bobby Valentine tried his hardest to do just that after the game.

“That line score’s not indicative of the way [Beckett] pitched,” said Valentine. “He pitched really well, gave up the home runs on a couple misfire, but solo shots shouldn’t beat you. And in the sixth inning a couple balls found holes that he made good pitches on.”

Red Sox Players' Underperforming Comes Into Focus on Day Where Manager Gets All the BlameSo, likewise, can we please let Valentine off the hook, as well? The manager may have dealt with the Kevin Youkilis situation poorly, and at the beginning of the year may have had some communication issues with his coaches. However, anonymous sources (read: players who don’t want to come off publicly as malcontents) continually throw Valentine under the bus, when in fact Valentine himself has done a great job of protecting his players in making sure they avoid the undercarriage of mass transit vehicles.

And how about putting some of that blame where it actually lies: player performance. Throughout the season — and continuing Tuesday — it’s been an underperforming starting rotation. Opening a three-game set against the Orioles, this time it was the offense, which just couldn’t put anything together in support of their maligned former ace, aside from Carl Crawford‘s RBI single.

“We battled every inning,” Valentine said about the hitters Tuesday. “We had the men on base and we kept giving it a try. [Orioles starter Wei-Yin] Chen made good pitches with his fastball when he had to.”

As awfully as the offense performed on Tuesday, Valentine’s only words were supportive — just as a good manager should act publicly. As bad as Beckett was for yet another start, Valentine spoke nothing but positives about Fenway Enemy No. 1.

So, it may remain a mystery precisely why so many Red Sox are so unhappy with their field manager. But if the team is looking for a reason why they find themselves three games under .500 with their playoff hopes about to go down the drain, they only have to look as far as themselves to understand why their season is about to be flushed.

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