Oct 22, 2018; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora (20) speaks to the media during media day prior to game one of the 2018 World Series at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
With his team sitting five and a half games out of the second wild card in the American League, and with just 25 games left to make up that difference, Red Sox manager Alex Cora is going with the Lloyd Christmas approach.
“Well, I mean we have an 8 percent chance [of making the playoffs],” Cora said during his pregame media availability on Tuesday. “So, like Dumb and Dumber, there’s still a chance. At least in my eyes.”
With victories in 11 of their last 15 games overall, there are obvious positives with the team. And while it may very well be too little, too late for Boston’s playoff hopes, Cora wants to focus on what the team can control right now.
“You control two things: The way you play and the Rays. ‘Cause we play four games [against the Rays]. You don’t control the Indians, you don’t control the A’s. That’s out of the equation,” Cora said. “That’s all we can do: Keep playing good baseball, win games, and make that series [against Tampa] count in September. And hopefully by that time we’ve already passed one of the other two teams and if that happens, I think the last week in September is gonna be fun.”
But this is all infinitely easier said than done, and nobody knows that better than Cora.
It seems that every time you’re ready to buy what the 2019 Red Sox are selling, they quickly stumble over themselves, drop winnable games, and fail to make up the ground in front of them.
“It’s easy to say,” Cora admitted. “I can give you a lot of reasons why we can do this, but obviously over the course of this season, I’ve been trying to give you guys a reason to believe in us and it hasn’t happened on the field.
“We just gotta take care of today.”
And maybe find a briefcase full of money.