Miley, Farrell Blowup Characterizes Red Sox's Frustrating 2015

This was more than one game’s worth of anger.

This was almost 10 weeks' worth of sprouting frustration, seeded by worst-to-first expectations and watered by a God-awful rotation, an underachieving offense and a sub-.500 record within a division lacking a dominant favorite.

A single decision did not start this latest fire. Manager John Farrell's removing starting pitcher Wade Miley spurred the hurler's epic fifth-inning outburst against the skipper Thursday night in a 6-5 loss at Baltimore, but it is almost undoubtedly rooted in the Boston Red Sox’s failures through the first two-plus months of a campaign filled with high expectations. 

This, at the very least, is a microcosm of the season. There seemed to be little reason for Miley to be that livid with his manager for hooking him after he gave up five runs on nine hits—three of them home runs—in four innings, lifting his ERA to 5.07. That is a number that puts him among the worst starters in the American League.

Miley downplayed the incident after the game, telling reporters it was between him and Farrell and it was time to move on.

It was more of the same from Farrell.

“He didn’t want to come out of the game and that’s his competitive spirit coming through,” the manager told reporters afterward. “There were some decent swings against him. We felt like we had to make a move. You work four days to get to your start. On nights when it doesn’t go as you anticipate, it’s frustrating.

“I can fully respect his emotion, his competitiveness.”

Sure, that is understandable. What is not is Miley exploding for being taken out of a game in which he was terrible as the Red Sox were trying to avoid a third consecutive loss and going seven games under .500.

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

“I think he’s looking for someone to blame and it’s not himself,” former Red Sox ace and Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez said on MLB Network. “He gave it up, obviously, but the team is not playing up to the level it should be playing. So he’s complaining, and when the manager told him he was done he was probably pissed off a little bit.”

Martinez continued: “You can’t blame the manager because he doesn’t want to fall further [behind] than he was.”

Miley has a track record of this, by the way. He got into a similar confrontation with former Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson last September. Similarly, that incident happened toward the end of an ugly season for the Diamondbacks, much like this one is shaping up to be in Boston.

And a sense that the frustration is spreading throughout the clubhouse is starting to form. It’s not just Miley. Franchise veterans might also be feeling the heat of failing to live up to the hype.

David Ortiz, who entered Thursday hitting .219/.297/.372, seems to be at the forefront of that theme, as relayed by the Boston Globe's Pete Abraham:

"

No comment from Ortiz. "I'm not talking tonight." Air of resignation starting to hang over the #RedSox. First time really sensing that.

— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) June 12, 2015"

Big Papi is not the only Red Sox hitter hurting for results. Pablo Sandoval is not much better, entering the night with an 84 OPS+. He also had not had an extra-base hit since May 16 (18 games) before doubling Thursday. He is now hitting .180 in that time span.

Boston’s other big free-agent signing, Hanley Ramirez, is in his own slump. Since injuring his shoulder while colliding with a wall May 4, Ramirez has seen his slugging percentage drop from .609 in his first 25 games to .387 in his next 31 before Thursday’s 0-for-2.

Then there is the dismal rotation that has an AL-worst 4.74 ERA and has caused the bullpen to throw 189 innings this season, the ninth most in the majors.

Frustration clearly exists, and that is hopefully what everyone saw from Miley on Thursday. Otherwise this is a more serious problem that the team has to deal with, and that could make things worse within the clubhouse.

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

The AL East is not the juggernaut division it was in the past, so a team like the Red Sox can still rebound. No one has put them out of their misery, and that means hope is still able to grow amid the festering bacteria of losing.

The Red Sox can make a trade. They can get scorching, blistering hot. They could end up winning the division going away, capturing that Beantown October magic once again and winning a fourth World Series in 12 years. A long way we are from Bambino’s curse.

If that happens, Miley’s misguided tirade could end up being nothing more than folklore in a ridiculously wild ride of a Red Sox season, the stuff Boston bars will relive for years to come. Abraham dreamed of such scenario:

"

When the Sox win this game, go on a huge run and win the World Series, Angry Wade Miley Bobblehead Day will be next June 11.

— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) June 12, 2015"

Or things like Miley’s tantrum will continue to happen throughout the summer, leaving the franchise to relive the catastrophe that was 2012 when it lost 93 games, was a total soap opera and fired Bobby Valentine after one season.

The next month or so will likely show which fork in the road the Red Sox have taken.

All quotes, unless otherwise specified, have been acquired firsthand by Anthony Witrado. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.