The Curse of .500

2004 may have killed the Curse of the Bambino, but a new curse has emerged this year: The Curse of .500. The Sox have had 3 chances (4 if you count game 2 in Texas after losing the first game) to break even on the season and choked their way out of each one. Lester laid a 5-run egg tonight when the Sox needed him to be the ace. Tek's inability to throw out base stealers bit them in the end, when Rajai Davis stole both second and third after reaching on a single with no outs. It's as if Davis hit a leadoff triple when the Sox had no margin for error. Of course the next guy comes up and hits a sac fly and the game's over. Regardless of how many times the bats tied the score, the pitching and defense had to give it right back because, well, the world's gonna explode if the Red Sox reach .500. Tito and his boys are sure of it--that's why you can bet on a loss every time the team is within a game of that ever-dangerous milestone. Sure, they'll come up with the walk-off wins when there's at least a 2-game buffer zone between the win column and the loss column, but heaven forbid they win without that "safety net".

All sarcasm aside, this inability to get to .500 is a really maddening trend with this team. They have yet to win the first game of a road trip, even after winning a few games on the homestand to "attempt" to build momentum. Carrying the momentum to another city is just about impossible for them. Something gets lost on the flight over, whether it be the hitting, the pitching, the defense, or all three. Winning teams have no problem carrying their momentum across state lines. The Sox, so far, cannot manage the load. That's why they've lost more games than they've won and why they swing and miss when it comes time to break even. A true test of them turning the corner would be to win a road game after winning the last game(s) of a homestand. That and getting over the "monumental" .500 hump. The time has come to put up or shut up. Which is it going to be, Red Sox? Which is it going to be?