The Red Sox will end Sunday having been swept by the Rays, with just a 3.5 game lead in the wild card.
It’s pretty much impossible to draw any other conclusion now. After Lester was removed from the game with 100 pitches on his arm through four, Michael Bowden proceeded to load the bases, and Terry Francona called on his bases loaded specialist: Matt Albers. He did not disappoint, one-upping his appearance against the Jays when he gave up the bases-clearing double by allowing a grand slam to B.J. Upton.
So it is that, with Marco Scutaro’s solo shot being the only real bit of offense the team has had, the Red Sox are now just a matter of time away from being swept. Their rotation in shambles, their lineup unresponsive, and with no real memory of what it was like to be a team that was expected to win just about every game; this is the group that will have to stave off the Tampa Bay Rays through another two weeks.
Good luck.