72

I'm starting to detect a pattern here. The Sox lost for the 11th time in their last 14 games, this time to the Twins, 4-3. Their starting pitcher was sailing along before giving up a big inning, this time Jose Contreras served up a three-run homer to Jason Bartlett (his first of the season) after tossing 6.1 innings of one-run ball. The Sox jumped out to a lead they couldn't hold for the eighth time in those 11 losses during the slump, this time a 1-0 margin courtesy of Jim Thome's 33rd home run -- Joe Crede added a two-run shot (his 21st) to narrow the gap in the seventh. This feels a whole lot like last August and September, when the team frittered away its big lead to Cleveland. We can only hope that they pull out of this nosedive like they did last season.

The only good news is that Detroit suffered a rare defeat, keeping the Sox 7.5 games back and reducing the Magic Number to 72. Minnesota is now only a game behind the Sox and the Yankees only a half game back in the Wild Card race. Even Toronto is within striking distance, 3.5 games behind the Good Guys. And it's clearly not just a case of the other teams' being hot. (Yes, the apostrophe is correct since "teams" precedes a gerund.) The slump has dropped the Sox below a .600 winning percentage for the first time since April 16, when they were 7-5.

So what's the answer? I don't know, but according to Greenie of Mike & Mike in the Morning on ESPN radio, Kenny Williams should do nothing, and ESPN baseball guy Buster Olney agrees. Greenie says that the only thing that's going to help the Sox is for Mark Buehrle to pitch like Mark Buehrle can and for Jose Contreras and the rest of the starters to do the same thing. Soriano won't help (although one factor I hadn't considered in my calculations is that the team that loses him to free agency gets "a first round pick and a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds for him" per Tom Boswell in the Washington Post). Judging from a comment I received yesterday from Mike Sehr telling me to get a grip, Mr. Sehr agrees with Greenie too. Maybe the radio show should be Mike & Mike & Mike in the Morning. Go Sox!