No one can say for sure if Manny Ramirez will remain a Red Sox by this afternoon’s 4 p.m. trading deadline. What they can say is that shortly after last night’s four-error, 9-2 debacle of a series-sweeping loss to the Angels, manager Terry Francona had had enough. The Red Sox will hold a team meeting before tomorrow night’s game against Oakland - with or without Ramirez.
Losers of eight of their 12 games since the All-Star break and closer to third place in the AL East than first, the Red Sox’ level of play is threatening to become a bigger distraction than their left fielder.
And as we all know by now, that is saying something.
The recent distractions that Ramirez has caused have hurt the club’s focus, which likely has led to the sloppiness. The team isn’t playing near championship-caliber, and the major league-best Angels not only highlighted their differences but exploited them. With a day off today, the Red Sox will take a break and then make a change, one they hope transcends the muddle they are in.
Four errors - Varitek missed a throw to the plate, Beckett threw a ball away on a pickoff attempt, shortstop Jed Lowrie missed a throw from Varitek on a stolen base attempt and first baseman Kevin Youkilis missed a two-hopper, deflated the crowd. Those miscues, plus Beckett’s failure to back up the throw that Varitek missed and a bloop single that fell between three Red Sox defenders in the sixth, highlighted the lowlights. The Angels scored three times in the fourth, two runs coming on Garret Anderson’s single. They scored five more in the sixth, two runs coming on Anderson’s two-run homer. The Red Sox’ lone runs came on a Coco Crisp two-run shot in the fifth, his first long ball since June 17.
There could be changes by the time the door closes for tomorrow’s meeting or the same cast of characters could still be here, including Ramirez - if he shows.
