Another day, another loss

I suppose the Sox really do need Manny Ramirez now. After watching them lose two close games in a row to the Yankees, I sat and wondered, "What if the Sox had Manny right now? Would we win both of those games, and pull off a sweep of the Yankees? Would the DH hole finally be solved and we can mash our way to the postseason?" While that answer is not for certain, one thing is: the Sox need Manny Ramirez right now, and desperately.

Some of you who are reading this may remember me explicitly stating that the Sox do NOT need Manny back around the trade deadline. You might even remember me saying that Manny would be a distraction that the Sox don't need. Well, I suppose anybody can change their mind, and desperate times call for desperate measures. I was wrong to think that the Sox don't need Manny. However, I did not think things would get so bleak for the Sox at that point in the season, though. Right now, this team needs a desperate boost. Having Manny even for just a few weeks as the DH is a hell of a lot better than seeing Mark Kotsay, Andruw Jones or Mark Teahen taking up that same lineup spot. He may not be quite as good as he once was, but he is still far better than the aforementioned three.

While the Sox may need some bullpen help more than anything, they probably aren't going to get the quality help they're looking for through the waiver wire at this point. With J.J. Putz, Matt Thornton, and Erick Threets all on the DL, they'll have to piece together what they have at this point to make it through September. Their best shot of making the postseason now is to survive with the battered arms in the bullpen, and just slug their way to the playoffs, a la 2000. It can still be done. Being 4.5 games out entering August 30 is not the end of the world. Unfortunately, the Twins have saved their best baseball for when they needed it, and they have been playing out of their minds since the All-Star break. The Sox need to make a statement by picking up Ramirez to send a message to the Twins and the rest of the American League that the Sox aren't dead just yet. Let's hope that Kenny Williams can get a deal done by Tuesday.