If the Red Sox are forced to resort to a bullpen game next month, it will shine a brighter light on Breslow bringing in two pitchers the Dodgers had no use for -- Walker Buehler and Dustin May -- and giving them 27 starts. They were 8-11 with a 5.44 ERA over 28 games.

Reliable starters were almost impossible to come by at the trade deadline, and the Sox never expected Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck to give them only nine starts.

Buehler was a poor investment and now the Sox have to hope one of the rookies proves worthy if needed.

A few other observations on the Red Sox:

⋅ Metrics show the Sox have the best defensive outfield in the game and it's not particularly close, but outfield coach Kyle Hudson needs to solve the communication issue in left-center between Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela.

There have been a handful of routine fly balls that fell in for hits this season, two in recent weeks.

One of those in a postseason game could be fatal. There also have been issues with popups between Duran and shortstop Trevor Story.

Duran, to his credit, goes full speed after balls, but that also seems to cause Rafaela and Story to slow up, fearing a collision. However it works, everybody needs to get on the same page.

⋅ Anthony Rizzo's decision to retire as a Cub and join that organization as an ambassador is a "what might have been" moment for the Red Sox.

Rizzo was a prospect moving steadily toward the majors when he was one of four players traded to the Padres for Adrián González before the 2011 season.

Gonzalez had a short and grouchy tenure with the Sox. Rizzo lasted only a season with the Padres before he was traded to the Cubs for what proved to be a productive run of nine-plus seasons that included the 2016 World Series championship.

Rizzo retired with 303 homers, an .828 OPS, and 965 RBIs.

⋅ The Sports Museum hosted an event at the Museum of Science on Wednesday to commemorate the 1975 Red Sox.

Tim Blackwell, Bernie Carbo, Dwight Evans, Bill Lee, and Rico Petrocelli were in attendance and traded stories about that season and the World Series against the Reds.

Evans said Fred Lynn and Jim Rice should have been co-MVPs and co-Rookies of the Year for the seasons they had. Lynn was MVP and Rookie of the Year. Rice was third in MVP voting and second in Rookie of the Year.

Evans also talked about his famed catch in Game 6 of the World Series that robbed Joe Morgan of what surely would have been at least a go-ahead double.

"Great catches happen before the ball is hit," Evans said. "You have to run through the scenarios in your head what you will do if the ball comes your way."

Evans said he lost the ball in the lights for a split second, then threw his glove up, making the catch. He then fired the ball in to double Ken Griffey off first base.

The best moment of the luncheon was the ovation Maria Tiant received when she was introduced. She was there representing her husband, Luis Tiant, who died last October.

It also was touching to see Carbo maneuver himself to the side of the small stage so he could reach an arm out and help Petrocelli with the step up.

Even now, all these years later, they have each other's backs.

A starter short? The Red Sox' rotation is incomplete as the playoffs approach, and other thoughts. - The Boston Globe