Sox Prevail 7-6

It looked like an easy win for Jon Lester when he departed in the 8th with a 6-1 lead. But nothing is easy when you are trying to break a losing streak. Badenhop & Uehara give up 5 runs over the final 2 frames & it take a David Ortiz homer in the 10th to nail down a win 7-6 over the A's. Nice to see the offense pick-up the bullpen for a change. 7 runs is an explosion compared to the meager offensive output of recent days. And so continues the strange year of major league baseball where 25 teams, including the Red Sox, remain within striking distance of the playoffs as the halfway point of the 2014 season approaches this coming weekend. Buy or sell remains the key question for many, many teams. Even the guys on The Baseball Show are divided on their opinions about what to do. Do the Red Sox have a run left in them? Answer - who knows. The answer may lie with players on the DL like Buchholz, Victorino & Middlebrooks. Any production from those 3 at the major league level may be the missing ingredient to a winning streak. What about Mookie Betts? Is this offense generator ready for the big show & can he contribute? There are more questions than answers at this point. Ben Cherington may need more time to evaluate what he has in internal player additions over the next few weeks before he reacts externally.