The Red Sox desperately need to catch their second wind

Sunday night was supposed to be the reincarnate of that memorable 2021 wild card game where Red Sox fans were pouring celebratory beer on their faces while relishing in the end of the Yankees' season. Or at very least, it was going to resemble the good times of Friday night.

But instead the environment was a bit of a dud.

It didn't help that the Yankees scored three runs out of the gate against Red Sox ace Tanner Houck before ultimately piling on against a depleted Boston bullpen. By the time the night was over, it was the Yankees fans taking to the streets with smiles on their faces thanks to an 8-2 win over the Red Sox.

The euphoria and excitement that permeated through New England baseball fans thanks to the Sox' series-opening win - and the idea of what might be at the trade deadline - had dissipated.

All of a sudden, this team needs a second wind.

There is no panic even with the discomfort of losing all but two of the nine games since the All-Star break. The Red Sox still sit a game out of the wild card race, and one of the new players they did add - Danny Jansen - actually bore fruit in his debut by collecting two of the Sox' seven hits.

But it was impossible to not feel like Alex Cora's club is searching for the fountain of youth on the other side of Tuesday's Deadline.

The man who has done such a great job of being the stopper to any and all losing skids this season, Houck, has now gone back-to-back outings in which he has has allowed four runs over six innings, giving up a combined 15 hits and seven walks.

“I think the strike throwing for me has been down within that time, while also feeling off with the delivery,” Houck said. “Ultimately, it’s finding that rhythm, finding that time again. And really, it’s just about showing up each and every day and kind of continuing to work on the stuff. And it's not always going to be fun, not always pretty, and you're going to be frustrated more days than you’re probably going to feel like it’s an easy thing.

“But if it was easy, then everyone would do it. So show back up tomorrow, continue to put in my work and get ready for the next outing.”

Since the All-Star break, the bullpen has been remarkably ineffective, totaling a batting average against of .347 with opponents also managing an OPS of 1.046. The ERA? It is a major league-worst 8.07.

So, what awaits?

The one thing that the Red Sox' can lean on is the notion that such pre-Deadline skids happen. Just ask the world champion Texas Rangers from a year ago.

From July 21 until the end of the month last season, the Rangers also went 2-7. It left them clinging to postseason viability, sitting just 1/2-game up on the Astros in the American League West. The next thing you knew the Rangers were adding starting pitchers Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery - along with catcher Austin Hedges - just before the trade deadline.

Texas was on its way, pushing the malaise of those final nine games in July to the side while winning 12 of their next 14 games.

The Red Sox have also had to push aside some mid-summer malaise somewhat recently, going 4-12 on a stretch that began on July 28, 2021. It saw their Fangraphs playoff odds go from 95 to 68 percent. Yet, thanks in large part to the jumper cable was Kyle Schwarber's healed hamstring, the Sox survived and found that path to the postseason.

Perhaps the theme here is that rejuvenation is possible, but getting a deadline boost seems to sure help the process. The Red Sox weren't able to pull out from their month-long skid in 2022, going 7-19 starting on July 11. In that case, the postseason odds went from 71 percent to 13 percent, with a confusing deadline approach not helping matters.

It seems like there will be some built-in help somewhere along the way in August, with Triston Casas starting his rehab stint Tuesday and Vaughn Grissom currently making his way through his return from hamstring injuries. Relievers Justin Slaten and Chris Martin are also each starting to throw after dealing with elbow ailments.

It does, however, seem somewhat important that these couple of days of deadline definition offer a feel-good vibe for the Red Sox. Not only is there a need for impactful fresh faces, but success over Seattle - which sits just 1/2-game in back of the Sox - seems of the utmost importance.

Trades don't offer any guarantees. Just ask last year's National League champion Diamondbacks, who had to dig themselves out of a nine-game losing streak after making their deadline deals. But, in this case, it does seem like the proper elixir.

It sure seems like these next few days are a pretty good opportunity to uncover the next iteration of these out-of-nowhere Red Sox.