McAdam: With little else on the line, Red Sox band together to get 20 wins for Eduardo Rodriguez

The final scores don't matter much now, and haven't, really, for some time. Since early September, it's been obvious that the Red Sox' postseason status moved from "decided longshot'' to "eliminated in all but name.''

As the Red Sox head out for their final road trip of the season, their tragic number is one -- that is, one more loss, or one more win by the Tampa Bay Rays will officially seal their fate. As fate would have it, the first stop on the Red Sox' final trek is Tropicana Field. Their season will almost certainly end sometime in the next four days, perhaps as soon as Friday night.

So, with no chance to properly defend their title in October, the focus has shifted inside the clubhouse. Those with injuries are either being shut down for good (David Price, Michael Chavis) or having their potential return to the lineup managed with the utmost of caution (Mookie Betts, Heath Hembree, J.D. Martinez).

For those healthy enough to still play -- because someone has to -- it's about individual achievements. The race to lead the team in doubles and RBI is being waged between the two occupants of the left side of the infield, Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts.

But the goal in which seemingly everyone is invested in trying to get Eduardo Rodriguez a 20-win season.

Even before Rodriguez took the mound Thursday afternoon against the San Francisco Giants, Alex Cora and Dana LeVangie reconfigured the rotation to provide Rodriguez with three more starts instead of two. The Sox took advantage of last Monday's off day to have Rodriguez pitch on regular rest Thursday. Next up are starts in Texas next Tuesday and another a week from Sunday, in Game No. 162.

Should Rodriguez run the table in all three, he'll finish with 20 victories.

Thursday represented a good first step toward that goal. Nicked for an unearned run in the first inning, Rodriguez pitched through the sixth and didn't allow another run. Meanwhile, his teammates, who have provided him with excellent run support for most of the season, put up five in the first two innings.

Still, that left nine outs for the bullpen to nail down to preserve the win. It got hairy in the ninth when Brandon Workman, called on to protect a two-run cushion, loaded the bases, walked in one run with a walk and went to 3-and-2 on Evan Longoria.

But Workman got Longoria to swing through a curveball on a full count, leaving three Giants stranded and positioning Rodriguez to still get credit for the victory. Yes, closing out a win and staving off elimination was nice, but Workman acknowledged he was also thinking of making sure Rodriguez got the win.

"Definitely,'' he said. "He's had a hell of a season. He's thrown the ball really well. He's knocking on the door of 200 innings (191.1), so if he can do 20 wins and go 200 innings, that would be incredible.''

"There's been a lot of talk about that,'' confirmed Cora. "We set the rotation for him to go as many times as possible with regular rest. We still have a shot.''

While the Red Sox cratered in the wild card race, Rodriguez has been getting better.  Over his last seven starts, he sports an ERA of exactly 1.00. And in 15 outings since the start of July, Rodriguez is 10-2 with a 2.21 ERA. His team, meanwhile, is 12-3 in his last 15 starts, and his fastball has shown remarkable explosiveness, especially this late in the season.

Rodriguez himself seems a bit uncomfortable of all the attention placed on getting him his 20th win.

"I have two more starts and I'll just go out there and try to do the best I can,'' said Rodriguez, "and give a chance to win those games. Just try to perform and be good again.''

In some ways, Rodriguez is more proud of the likelihood that he will reach the 200 inning plateau, since that was his stated personal goal at the start of the season.

"Twenty wins is something the guys are pushing for me right now,'' he said. "If it happens, it happens.''

Rodriguez knows that he can't control outcomes. For instance, in his previous two starts, he came with a loss and a no-decision despite allowing just one earned run each time. And the emphasis on starter wins has been greatly reduced.

Still, it's a nice round number and something pitchers -- privately perhaps -- still welcome.

And, let's face it: it's not like there's much else of any significance attached to the final 10 days.