Strange Days Indeed

The Red Sox have lost their last four games and 11 of their last 17 games. Raise your hand if you think Shank's going to devote a column to it!

SEATTLE — These are strange days for the Red Sox. They are in first place in the American League East. They are almost certain to be in first place when they return to Fenway against the Royals Friday night. Unless the Yankees, who defeated the Reds, 4-2, on Tuesday night, win their next two games while Boston continues to stumble in Seattle.

But John Henry’s team has been taking on water since just before the All-Star break. Going into Tuesday night’s game and the major league debut of Rafael Devers, the Sox had dropped 11 of 17. There’s been a power outage, a gaping hole at third base, and some well-publicized bad behavior. A team that’s been characterized as a tad “boring” (NESN ratings were down 20 percent in the first half of the season), has finally become a topic of discussion back home in New England, but it’s not exactly the kind of attention a franchise wants. Just as the wildly popular Patriots are ready to start training camp, the Sox are back in the news cycle, but it’s not their fine play that has tongues wagging.

Which means we can expect columns from Shank with greater frequency, now that he has multiple targets,