ROUNDTABLE: Sox Weakness?

Once a week, you’ll hear from numerous Red Sox bloggers on the Internet on a Red Sox related issue, and we’ll aggregate the answers here. Answers are placed in the order they were received. Thanks to everyone for participating!
What is the one weakness the Sox need to work on to ensure they advance in the postseason?
“The one weakness that we have experienced lately is the inability to put the game away. We’ve had countless games recently where victory is there for us, but we allow it to get away from us. That can’t happen.” — Evan Brunell, Fire Brand of the American League
“I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say Mike Lowell’s health. The guy looks like he needs a wheelchair. We don’t want to go into the playoffs without the reigning World Series MVP, so we better work on keeping him healthy. He says he’ll be ready to play on Friday, but if that labrum “pops in and out of the joint” a few more times as it did Tuesday, we might lose him for good. I almost feel like we should keep him to a pinch-hitting appearance per night over these last ten games so he’s as healthy as possible for round one. Now, about JD Drew’s back….” — Jere Smith, A Red Sox Fan From Pinstripe Territory
“Injuries and fatigue. I’m not sure you can “fix” this problem, but it has become a serious issue. Drew’s back in not getting better, Lowell’s hip is getting worse and Youk, although he fought if off through August, looks like the usual 2nd half Youk so far this month. Big Papi has driven in 18 runs, but he’s batting .237 in September. And the bullpen needs to step up for Paps, because he’s already at 64 IPs and, personally, I think all the innings are starting to hurt him… Bottom Line: If the Sox can’t tie things back up in the East after the Toronto series – I think Tito will have to accept the WC spot and start getting some of these guys rested and healthy.” — Bottom Line Rob, The Bottom Line
Is winning on the road a legitimate weakness? This club cannot finish with a .500 record on the road, the first time they’ve managed that and still made the playoffs since 1990. That team was swept out quickly, as were the 1998 and 2005 clubs — both of which finished with road records of just a game over .500. I’m not sure that “losing on the road” is just something you can fix, however; it tends to be more of a symptom. And that’s the problem. This club has the second-best offense and fifth-best pitching in the league. The third-best starters. The sixth-best relievers. Yet they cannot find consistency on the road in any of these categories. It’s a maddening split, and the best answer I can come up with is the bullpen, which has been the Red Sox’ most inconsistent area since the beginning of the season. The ‘pen’s performance over the past 10 days is certainly why the Sox are two games behind the Rays and not two games ahead, and in a closely fought series with either Anaheim or Tampa, the bullpen must be viewed as a glaring weakness — at least when compared to those two clubs. — Paul SF, YFSF
“In the wake of yet another loss at the hands of Andy Sonnanstine, it’s tempting to say ‘duh, it’s the offense.’ But statistically, at
least, the offense isn’t the problem. Our Post-All Star OPS of .810 may not be gaudy, but it trumps the Pre of .807. Which is notable, of course, because of the subtraction of Manny Ramirez. The offense, then, is serviceable if not world beating.
Likewise, the starters. Beckett, Lester, and Matsuzaka each have their issues (think inconsistency/innings load/pitch counts), but they are creditable. And one of Byrd/Wake should be ok in the role of 4 starter.
Which leaves the bullpen. Of course. None of the setup candidates inspire much confidence, and even the given that is Papelbon has become hittable. Meaning that if there’s one weakness that could be addressed, it would straightening out Pap’s pitch selection and slotting the remainders into the roles behind him. To the extent that’s possible in 10 days, of course.” — Stephen O’Grady, wicked clevah
“The biggest problem the Red Sox are faced with is the bullpen’s consistency. Don’t get me wrong, injuries are a huge problem too (Sean Casey, Mike Lowell, Josh Beckett, etc.) but the pen is where it’s at. Daisuke Matsuzaka gives the team 10 innings of starting pitching every week, that means that the bullpen needs to be on their game for the other 8 innings. Then they also have to pick up the slack from our missing 5th starter. A solid bullpen will make or break the rest of Boston’s season.” — Michael Christopher, Sox Addict
“Tito needs to have 3 reliable arms in the pen to bridge the innings between the starter and Papelbon. He needs to have the confidence to send in a guy that can get him through a tough inning. Delcarmen, Okajima, Masterson, could be the three but they need to build some consistancy in the next two weeks.” — Matt O’Donnell, Fenway West
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