I can’t quite put my finger on what it is that saps the Red Sox’ mojo the minute they step on grass or turf that isn’t Fenway. At home, they’re like Wez in The Road Warrior, stomping over everything in their path and looking positively menacing in doing so. On the road… I can’t figure it out. The capes come off, the Kryptonite comes out, the wheels flip off the wagon.
In last night’s first-of-six on the road, J.D. Drew, who almost single-handedly tore up the Baltimore Orioles earlier this week, pulled an O-fer, striking out three times. Manny left the game with a tight hammy, leaving Coco Crisp in the role of potential ninth-inning savior (spoiler: he didn’t go yard). And, coming off a three-run blast in his last game on Wednesday, the Cap’n was the victim of both strep throat and a grounded flight. When all was said and done, we could only muster five hits, and while the Reds snagged a paltry four, two of them were home runs.
As much as I’d love to use this loss as a launchpad for yet another interleague-play-is-about-as-enjoyable-as-a-wasp-enema tirade, fact is the Sox can’t stop scuffling on the road, where they’ve dropped 11 of their last 15, no matter who they’re facing.
While I’m certain that a team this good will eventually find that magic balance, I’m hoping it happens pretty frickin’ soon. At least by June 30.
