Frustration With Farrell Boiling Over In Boston

By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- Red Sox manager John Farrell has had his share of detractors for some time now, but his apparent shortcomings as an in-game manager and clubhouse leader could be reaching a breaking point with fans and followers of the team.

Monday's problems began before the Red Sox even took the field against the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, when Farrell penciled shortstop Xander Bogaerts into the lineup despite calling up infielder Mike Miller from Triple-A and Bogaerts saying he needed a day off. Bogaerts' rest may still come today, but to make these moves with no explanation was simply a bad look for Farrell and just another "What is he thinking?" moment.

The ugliness grew astronomically in the first three innings of Monday night's game. Starter Eduardo Rodriguez had been getting shelled by the Rays' decidedly poor lineup, and got three mound visits in as many innings from ... pitching coach Carl Willis. He also got a visit from the whole infield and got a talk from Dustin Pedroia.

The longer Farrell stayed in the dugout while Rodriguez struggled, the worse it looked.

If you need any evidence that Farrell doesn't really have a hold on his players or how to manage them as players or people, look no further than last night...

As if Farrell couldn't look any less competent, he made it even worse when he brought his three best relievers into the game as if the Red Sox were winning. Junichi Tazawa came in to pitch the sixth inning in a 10-4 game, then Koji Uehara allowed two runs in the seventh, then closer Craig Kimbrel allowed a run in the eighth inning with the Red Sox down 12-6.

Felger & Mazz producer James Stewart tweeted that an "MLB friend" texted him that Farrell "could be gone by Friday," which given the team's current struggles and underachievement would not come as much of a surprise.

What really surprised some fans on Twitter, however, was that Farrell still had his job as of Tuesday morning.

Farrell held a private team meeting after the game and said in his postgame press conference that the Red Sox know they are not as bad as they have looked in June.

"We're capable of more," Farrell said after the game. "We need to get better, and we had a chance to share that here after the game tonight. You know what? We collectively have to get better. To continue to fall behind as much as we are of late, we're more talented than that."

There's no doubt that the Red Sox have real, significant issues with their roster, especially the pitching staff, and firing Farrell would not magically solve all of the team's problems. Ultimately, it's not Farrell giving up 22 first-inning runs in the past 15 games. It's not Farrell out there swinging the bats.

But as the sports cliché goes, "You can't fire the players." The #FireFarrell movement could not be stopped from gaining more traction Monday night.

Farrell looks incompetent at times with his in-game moves and roster management. Monday night's loss to the Rays, who at 32-43 are in last place in the American League East and 13 games out of first, was a tour de force of ineptitude.

The seat was hot already for the Red Sox manager. It's time to turn it up a few more notches.

Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.

• Major League Baseball
• Boston Red Sox