NEW YORK -- If the Red Sox have been waiting all season for their wakeup call, Dustin Pedroia sounded the alarm Friday night after a one-sided loss to the New York Yankees.
"The first 100 games have been expletive,'' said Pedroia after the Sox were thumped 10-3, their sixth loss in the last seven games. "We're two games under .500; we're the Boston Red Sox. If everyone's thrilled about where we're at, we need to reevaluate because I don't like losing. I know everybody else doesn't like losing.
"We've got to play better, man.''
Pedroia's frustration spilled over on a night in which the Sox couldn't turn two double plays in the first two innings, leading to the Yankees' first four runs.
Earlier in the day, manager Bobby Valentine, in perhaps a moment of cockeyed optimism, said the Sox were "heading in the right direction,'' and he forecast that they would soon be "10, 15, 20 games over .500.''
After the loss, Valentine again tried to be upbeat.
"We'll turn it around,'' he vowed. "We haven't had our big streak yet. That's the good news.''
Boston Red Sox
Asked if that projection was based on his players' track record, Valentine responded: "I just believe.''
Pedroia does, too. But he wasn't nearly as sunny in his outlook for the team.
"I think we can win,'' said Pedroia. "We've got to play better, man. That's the bottom line. We have great players. We just need to play good, that's it. We didn't Friday night; their guys did. Late in the game, they extended themsleves from us. That's what great teams do.
"We didn't do anything. Our at-bats later in the game were not good -- swinging early in the count and hacking. If their eighth-inning guy (David Robertson) is going to come into the game, let's at least get him to throw 25-30 pitches so maybe he can't pitch tomorrow. Do something productive. And we're not doing that. That's a sign of not a winning team. It's frustrating.''
Pedroia refused to use the rash of injuries the Sox have weathered as an excuse.
"When I was hurt, Pedro Ciriaco hit .400,'' said Pedroia. "When Carl Crawford was out, Daniel Nava hit .350. Injuries, that's an excuse. I'm not going to make one and these other guys shouldn't either. We win as a team and lose as a team. When injuries happen, guys have stepped up and played their butts off and they put us in a position to make a run. We've got to play better -- that's it.''
For much of the season, many Red Sox players have preached patience, assuring anyone who will listen that a good run, a hot streak, a return to form, is right around the corner.
But with Aug. 1 coming up fast, nearly two-thirds of the season is gone and there is the gnawing worry among some of the organization that the good run, the hot streak, the return to form, might not be coming at all.
"I feel it's just a matter of time,'' said Pedroia. "If we don't run out of it. We gotta go.''
Now or never.