The Boston Red Sox were 9-21 in August, the worst record in the majors last month. The last time Boston even posted a losing record was June 2004 (11-14), and the club hasn't lost 20 games in a single month since going 8-21 in August 1985. So, went wrong? There's little doubt it's the pitching that failed the Red Sox. They ranked in the middle of the big league pack in August runs scored, but posted the worst August ERA in the majors at 5.81, and their .314 opponent batting average was the only team OBA worse than .300 for the month. Boston GM Theo Epstein has taken a fair share of criticism for not bolstering his team's pitching at the trade deadline, at a time when the Yankees added right-hander Cory Lidle and right fielder Bobby Abreu from the Phillies. Undoubtedly the Red Sox could have used an extra arm or two, but how far should they have gone to counter the injuries to David Wells, Tim Wakefield and Matt Clement? Do you compromise future seasons in an attempt to overcome a run of injuries that suggest it's just not the Red Sox's year? With Jason Varitek, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez also sidelined, Friday's bad news that lefty starter Jon Lester will undergo treatment for lymphoma further supports the notion that it just wasn't meant to be in 2006. Dealing away young talent probably wouldn't have had a payoff anyway.