Fourth loss in five tries backs Red Sox into a corner

In an otherwise sedate Red Sox clubhouse, following a 3-2 loss to the Houston Astros, Mookie Betts was checking all the boxes with his responses to a gaggle of reporters surrounding him.

Betts noted the Red Sox are still in control of their own fate, which is true enough. They have four chances to get the one outcome they need – either a win of their own or a loss by the Yankees.

He further observed the Red Sox are still a confident bunch, and given the present math, they should be.

He pointed out the Red Sox have responded well to adversity all season, also an inarguable truth. On a number of occasions, when things threatened to go sideways on them, the Sox found a way to string together some wins and leave the negative narrative behind.

So far, so good.

But then Betts made a verbal misstep.

“No one said it was going to be easy,’’ Betts added.

Of course, that depends. At the beginning of the season, no one suggested winning the competitive AL East would be simple. And when the injuries began to pile up – at mid-season to David Price, or later, with Dustin Pedroia and then Eduardo Nunez, the challenge remained in place.

But when the Red Sox returned home from their fabulous 8-1 road trip Sunday night, their magic number to wrap up the American League division was three with seven games to play.

You don’t have to have a post-graduate degree in analytics to do that math. Seven games left, and you only need three wins. Three wins in seven tries – even if the team chasing you runs the table – and this race is over.

It’s not over, however. There are two games left and the Red Sox still haven’t put the Yankees away. And now, the unthinkable looms on the horizon: a play-in game Monday, in New York, to determine which team wins the division and which team hosts Minnesota in the wild-card game the next night.

In dropping their fourth game in five tries on the homestand, the Red Sox failed time and again when they needed the big hit. Actually, they didn’t have so much as a baserunner until one out in the fifth, but then their prospects brightened.

After collecting a run that inning, the Sox had Rafael Devers at second with two outs but left him there. Following another run in the sixth, the Sox had the bases loaded in the sixth, but Chris Devenski got Hanley Ramirez to hit into a force out, stranding three more.

Finally, Ramirez gave them some life in the ninth when he ripped a two-out double into the left-field corner to put the potential tying run in scoring position. But Devers swung at the first pitch from closer Ken Giles and grounded out to second and that was that.

In the final four innings, the Sox stranded four baserunners in scoring position, and had another (pinch-runner Brock Holt) gunned down at second attempting to advance on a ball in the dirt.

Throughout the clubhouse, the Red Sox remained on point and seemed to believe what they were saying. There was no evidence of panic, no hint things were in imminent danger of slipping away from them.

Holt even borrowed a page from the well-worn Joe Namath/Mark Messier playbook.

“We’ve got a pretty good team in here,’’ said Holt. “We’ll come out and win tomorrow.’’

At this point, the Red Sox don’t have much choice. Should they lose tomorrow and the Yankees win, the Red Sox will be forced to use ace Chris Sale Sunday, which will result in three negative things taking place.

First, at a time when Sale could use a breather, he’ll need to pitch and pitch well to avoid a date with the Yankees in New York the following day. Second, it will offer the Astros a free advance look at the Red Sox’ potential ALDS Game 1 starter, a pitcher they haven’t seen all season. Third, it would force Sale to either pitch on short rest in ALDS Game 1 – if the Red Sox get that far, that is – or wait until Game 2 Friday to make his career playoff debut.

None of those sounds like good options. And none should be necessary.

There are no guarantees in baseball, but having a magic number of three with seven games remaining should have been easy.

Instead, at Game 161, the Red Sox have put themselves in essentially a must-win situation Saturday.

Easy? No, not now.

Just hard to believe.