Red Sox Have Best Chance of Catching Orioles

BOSTON —  Mike Greenwell stood in the blazing sun, prescribing the sure cure for the lethargic blues that have afflicted every team in the American League Least.

“It’s not good enough to win just six or seven in a row,” the Red Sox left fielder said. “We have to win six or seven series in a row. If we do that, we’ll be OK.”

As Greenwell spoke, you could imagine the same words, with a few basic substitutions, being echoed throughout the division, by guys like Greenwell who yearn for just one little hot streak. That has yet to happen for anyone south of Baltimore in the standings. And you can’t help but feel this is baseball’s version of one of those confounded European bike races, when the only sprint comes in the last lap. Before that, everyone pedals in slow motion, waiting for the other guy to break away first.

The question is: Who’s going to break free first, if at all?

The Red Sox would like to think they will. And those hopes rise every time they put together a modest winning streak of, say, two games. That happened this week and allowed Boston to somewhat take advantage of an Orioles losing streak. But, as too often happens, the Sox could not sustain. Boston lost to the Kansas City Royals 7-4 Wednesday night.

Such missed opportunities aren’t as crucial as they are frustrating at this point, especially when the young, untested Orioles are sending signals that their pursuers need only mount a little drive to really scare them. Not an assault of Normandy-like proportions.

Just a little push.

The Red Sox know that. They started Wednesday’s action in a third-place tie with the Cleveland Indians, 5 1-2 games behind Baltimore. They know they could have been in a better position. While Baltimore was losing seven in a row, Boston could win just three of six, meaning a gain of only 2 1-2 games.

Wednesday, from Bret Saberhagen’s first pitch on, there was every indication the Red Sox could continue to push toward the top. For Boston had the usually tough Saberhagen down, 4-1. But, as is the case with winning, Boston couldn’t sustain that good fortune, either.

“He didn’t get a breaking ball over for innings,” Sox Manager Joe Morgan said. “We had a chance to really wax it. ... What looked like a good night turned out to be a fizzle.”

Similar refrains are heard on any given night from the mouths of Yankees, Blue Jays, Indians and Brewers. They, along with Boston, dance up and down the standings between second and sixth, waging a spirited battle for everything but first.

The other teams have better excuses than Boston, though.

Milwaukee is beat up. Toronto’s still on its eternal trip to Oz in search of a heart. Cleveland’s spirit seems willing, but that team is patchwork, healthwise as well as productionwise. And the Indians just lost Greg Swindell -- their Roger Clemens. The Yankees? Just like Boston, they carry 11 pitchers. Unlike Boston, that’s not nearly enough.

For all of the above reasons, the Red Sox have to know they’re the best of the rest.

“The talent’s here,” Greenwell said. “It’s just a matter of letting it happen. After all, this is basically the same team that won last year, with the exception of Bruce Hurst.” That 1988 team also flitted about in the first half. But then it found the consistency Greenwell pines for to assure a division title. This version of the Sox has yet to do so. Still, there are believers who think another second-half turnaround is within reach. “This team is more than capable of going on a streak, just like last season,” Boddicker said.

A major reason why the Sox are exuding confidence is because the rotation is performing adequately, leading Manager Joe Morgan to declare before Wednesday’s game, “We could win this with the pitchers we have.”

He didn’t pull back from that endorsement, even after Eric Hetzel (1-2) was roughed up for seven hits and four runs in four innings by the Royals. For even with that loss, Red Sox starters are 10-5 in the last 22 games. Mike Boddicker has won five in a row and pitched 24 consecutive scoreless innings. Hetzel, Morgan pointed out, “pitched four good games. This is the only bad one.” John Dopson (8-5) has given more than expected. And, sore shoulder or not, Roger Clemens (11-7) is still the rock with a 3.21 ERA.

“We don’t have the best pitching staff, but we have a good pitching staff and it can do the job,” Boddicker said. “And, given the (offensive) club we have, I believe it can do an excellent job.”

Also, the Red Sox walking wounded are coming back. Most important, they are coming back to a team that the Randy Kutchers, Kevin Romines and Luis Riveras have held within reach. Because the fill-ins and call-ups have done such credible jobs, Morgan finally may get to deal with a pleasant dilemma, what with the return of Jim Rice and the comebacks of Ellis Burks and Marty Barrett imminent.

There are still chinks. Ailing Dwight Evans is probably out until the weekend with sciatic nerve problems. Rice struggles at DH. And the victories still refuse to come in bunches.

Will it jell?

Boddicker believes it will.

“Confidence-wise, you can feel it,” he said. “Even when we lost to the White Sox, it was there.”

Perhaps that confidence dissipated a bit Wednesday. Last year at this time, the Sox regrouped quickly from such defeats. That’s what makes for consistent winning, which has eluded them this year but is attainable.