People wanted the Red Sox to be throwing around some sort of desperation while they packed their bags following a 4-2 loss to the Rangers Sunday afternoon. 

Few of the players would jump into the vat of anxiety that most of New England was bathing in, uttering the same kind of vibe exuded by J.D. Drew as he tried to figure out home plate umpire Gary Darling's strike zone.

"They're all important stretches," Drew said when asked about how the upcoming 10-game West Coast road swing might separate itself. "They all add up to the end result. We've got our work cut out for us with a bunch of guys missing, but none of us our complaining. We know what we have to do. It's just the nature of the game sometimes. That team over there [Texas] is a good team. Sometimes you have to just tip your cap."

Drew was correct on a few levels. Partly because of injuries, partly due to aggressiveness, the Rangers deserved to come away with three out of four at Fenway. Heck, they probably should have left town with all four.

What's done is done.

Where the Red Sox outfielder might want to rethink his approach toward the team's swing through Oakland, Seattle, and Anaheim is in regard to it being just like all the others. This one is different, and here are some reasons why:

1. THEY HAVE TO PROVE THEY CAN FUNCTION

Here are some numbers from the Rangers series …

The Red Sox hit .189 (25-for-132), struck out 36 times, and managed just three hits in 29 chances with runners in scoring position (.103).

Against Texas' left-handed pitching, only Kevin Youkilis (4-for-8), and Marco Scutaro (2-for-7) hit above .200. For the series, nobody except Youkilis finished with an average above .273, with the combination of David Ortiz, Bill Hall and Scutaro going 9-for-49.

The moral of the story is that as much grit and guile as the Red Sox have -- and continue to display -- their lineup has found an uncomfortable level. It is a group that has come out of the post-All-Star gate having scored 11 runs in four games.

The reason they won Saturday night was that they were able to get to the guy who hit .467 for the series (Youkilis). If the key moments in that game are falling to virtually any other spot above or below the Sox first baseman, there's a good chance we're sitting here with a sweep.

And don't think this is nothing more than early second-half doldrums. The trend has been gaining steam for a few weeks now. Since the beginning of the month, the Sox are hitting .238, with their hottest hitter in June (Adrian Beltre) -- who totaled a .376 average for the month while going 11-for-32 with runners in scoring position -- taking the biggest turn for the worse. Thus far in July, Beltre is hitting just .186 with only one hit in 13 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

The lineup is leaking, and the Red Sox need to find some plugs starting Monday night.

2. HOPE IS AROUND THE CORNER … 10 DAYS FROM NOW

This is what the Red Sox could be reveling in by the time they hit Fenway to play the Tigers on July 30:

-- Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz should both be re-entrenched into the rotation, carrying a pair of West Coast starts under their belts.

-- Victor Martinez might actually be taking batting practice, while continuing to work his way back into feeling comfortable with a glove (building off of Sunday's game of catch).

-- Dustin Pedroia will be just days away from six weeks out from the origin of his foot injury, suggesting a return most likely won't be far away.

-- Jacoby Ellsbury should be playing in some rehab games, perhaps just days away from jumping back into the top of the Sox lineup.

-- Jeremy Hermida will have most likely already returned to the outfield.

-- Jed Lowrie (who is hitting .457 in nine minor league rehab outings) might very well have found himself back into an important role with the Sox. (By the way, one of the most encouraging aspects of Lowrie's play thus far is is effectiveness hitting from the left side, as he's gone 4-for-8 with a home run against righty pitchers.)

-- Mike Lowell figures to be presenting another bat, whether it be off the bench or as an option if Beltre's hamstring continues to be a problem. (When asked how his hamstring survived the four-game series, Beltre simply said, "Good enough. It's good enough to play.")

-- Michael Bowden might have very well established himself as a seventh- or even eighth-inning option in the bullpen.

Sounds like a good team, right? It is. One that can hang with the likes of the Yankees, Tampa Bay, Texas, Anaheim, Detroit, Minnesota and Chicago. But that's not what the Red Sox are currently dealing with, and that's why surviving the next 10 games are so important.

3. THEY SHOULDN'T EXPECT ANY HELP

This is the deal:

The Red Sox are 3 1/2 games in back of Tampa Bay for the wild card and 6 1/2 behind the Yankees. The Sox' closest competitors for the wild card are the Tigers (who have lost five straight) and Twins, who each are 3 1/2 back of Boston, while the Angels reside four behind.

(It should also be noted that both the Tigers and Twins are just 1 1/2 games in back of the first-place White Sox, who have suddenly lost three in a row.)

But what should be scary for the Red Sox is that while the Rays go on a six-game road trip of their own, they do so while playing in Baltimore and Cleveland. They then return home to take on the Tigers and Yankees at home to finish off the month.

By the time Tampa Bay and the Red Sox meet again (on Aug. 27), the Rays will be coming off their own seven-game West Coast swing while having had to play home games against the Twins, Orioles and Rangers. Their road games in August are vs. Toronto, Detroit, Oakland and the Angels.

Then there are the Yankees. Sure, they have lost Andy Pettitte to injury for a while, but some of their dismay should be tempered by a look at how their schedule shakes out while the Red Sox are looking for answers out West.

With the Red Sox playing in the dead of the Eastern Time zone night, the Yankees are home for two games against the Angels before taking on the Royals at Yankee Stadium for four. The Yanks then head to Cleveland for four against the lowly Indians.

In a nutshell, the Red Sox shouldn't be counting on their division rivals to be losing all that much during the next 10 days.

The players might be putting on the emotionless face regarding this trip, but they know its importance, as was evidenced by Drew's walk-off comments Sunday.

"We're at the point in the season where we're on the downhill side of things," Drew said. "Yeah, you might see more sense of urgency as things are winding down."