The Mojo is gone and the Karma is in the Toilet

April was paradise.  Every player was a star.  We got clutch hitting and clutch pitching.

Now, too many players have taken their foot off the gas pedal.

We are out of games, early, again.  With no prospect of coming back.  Let me clarify;  no chance of coming back to win.

We might load the bases with one out, down two runs in the middle of the game, but then Chris Carter will waddle up to the plate.  We are all saying, " that fucker is going to get a 3-2 count, foul off the one fat , straight pitch down the middle, and then either hit into a double play or, if we are lucky, strike out on a pitch in the dirt."

And it is maddening and demoralizing to be correct 100% of the time.

Or we might get the tying run on base with Gary Sanchez coming up.  Last year, he homered.  This year, it is the double play.  In fairness, he is starting to hit singles between third and short, on a regular basis.  Tempting runners to try and score from second, but getting thrown out at the plate.

Or, we might get one bad inning from a starting pitcher, and zeros for the rest of his outing.  But the game is already over.  Striving, clawing, and scratching our way back into contention, seems, now, to fall short.  Just short and too often.

Yes, we are still " coming back," but only to the kitchen door.  We leave hungry, all the time now.

I still blame Greg Bird.  This player has a high ceiling.  He dominated in spring training.  But he got dinged from a foul ball off his foot in St. Pete.  It never was properly diagnosed, and it never healed.  And he told the Yankees he was "good to go."  Watching him limp to first base on a ground ball to second, told me a different story.  He was hurt, no one had diagnosed what was wrong, and he lied about his condition.

So now we have Chris Carter, Austin Romine and and Matt Holliday playing first base.  And we all know the results.

It is going to be a long year.

We can be patient if we see progress and if " management/ownership" stay the course.  But I don't put a lot of faith in that.

Boston is now winning with the MOJO AND THE KARMA WE LOST.  Cheap Hal, Lucky Brian, and Joey Binders are more what we have to fear.