The Red Sox go home licking their wounds, down two games to none and with Curt Schilling possibly out for the ALCS.
“We’re at the bottom of a hill,” reliever Mike Timlin admitted after last night’s 3-1 loss in ALCS Game 2.
“We’re gonna have to win two games to get halfway up the hill to where they are.”
Added Jason Varitek: “We know our backs are to the wall.”
Boston was 55-26 at home in the regular season – good enough for second-best in the American League (The Yankees were 57-24.).
Even before a discouraging defeat last night, manager Terry Francona predicted there’s a long way to go before things are settled.
“If we’re not able to overcome some adversity – and whether it’s Schill getting beat in Game 1, if that’s all it ends up being, which we’re hopeful, or it ends up being more than that – if we are not able to overcome it, we’re not a good enough team,” Francona said before the game.
“I don’t think anybody in that locker room or clubhouse, including myself, thinks that’s the case.”
Game 3 pits Bronson Arroyo, who had a breakout season, against Kevin Brown, a tough task for Boston after the Sox lost with both their co-aces on the hill.
“Well, we’re built on a team, we’re not just built on two people,” Varitek said.
Schilling might not pitch again depending on how his side session today goes. That means Derek Lowe might need to hurl Game 5, or Pedro Martinez – who lost this game – would need to come back on short rest.
Varitek remarked that in the Game 1 10-7 loss, Boston hit well enough to win. Last night, the Sox catcher repeatedly insisted Martinez pitched well enough to win, but the Sox didn’t hit.
Against Jon Lieber, Varitek said, “We had some poor at-bats early, not taking anything away from what he did.”
The team falling behind two games to none in an LCS has dropped 13 consecutive series since the 1985 Cardinals and Royals both came back from two-game ditches. Boston lost the 1999 ALCS in five games to the Yanks and famously lost in Game 7 of last year’s ALCS.
“Every game’s a must win right now,” Varitek said.
