-hideki matsui
-gary sheffield
-robinson cano
-mike mussina
need i say more? i think not. when boston loses trot nixon for a couple weeks, trust me, it's not as much of a blow as losing matsui or sheffield. and we're still 11 up. if most teams went without 2 all star outfielders for 4 months and one of the best young players in the game for about a month, they'd be screwed.
Uh, they've had Abreu since the end of July. The Red Sox pitching staff is in ruins from all the injuries. Losing pitchers is more substantial than one or two position players on a lineup with allstars at every position.