Why The Mini-Slump?

The Boston Red Sox are finally at home, where I hope they enjoyed their day off. The have their work cut out for them, however, as they have lost five straight games. There are four teams in the AL East, including the Sox, that are within one game of first place, and as Boston gets ready to face the Toronto Blue Jays and their best pitcher, Roy Halladay, tonight, the Boston Globe today ran a featurette which I linked to this post's title that asks the question "What's Behind The Slump." Let's go over their main points and see the results of a reader poll, and then you can click (on the title of this post) and view the entire presentation. Sound good? OK, let's do it!

WHAT'S BEHIND THE RED SOX SLUMP?

1) Not so booming bats. Peter here, and it's true. Over the five game slide, runs were few and far between.

2) Lowell's absence. Peter again. Yes, we've missed Mike, but with Casey manning first and wielding a hot bat and Youk capably handling the hot corner, Lowell's injury is not the answer.

3) No middle to late inning relief. The middle relief, and by that I mean relief in the sixth (IF that early in the game. I think every starter HAS TO go six) through the eighth. Of course, once the Sox have a couple outs in the eighth and a lead of any kind, it's all hands on deck and Pap's time on the mound. But this one is a huge cause of the losses lately. And part of that is because of the flu bug, which has sapped all the energy from so many vital players, including the 'pen guys.

4) Long list of nagging injuries. This one is self-explanatory and also the reason I voted number one as the biggest cause of this mini-swoon.

THAT'S IT! Let me give you the results, which the fans voted on. You can vote when you click on the title of this post.

Number one...Long list of injuries...43.8%
Number two...Middle relief problems...32.6%
Number Three...Not so booming bats...21.9%
Number Four...Absence of Lowell...1.9%

I'm sure most if not all of you guessed correctly which of the items has been the largest cause of this five game losing streak. But the Red Sox, our team of teams, are liable to put five wins together, just like that! We all have faith, and that's the most important thing. I'm sure every one of you in Red Sox Nation and Red Sox International joins me in wishing the World Champions the best of luck. We've turned the page, so now, team, turn it around! Enjoy your Tuesday, don't forget to click on the title, and as always, BE WELL.