During the off-season, the team went out and made a marked improvement in its pitching staff. The Sox added Curt Schilling, a true ace who walks the walk every time he’s on the mound. (He also tends to talk the talk a little too often, but that’s a discussion for another day) They also brought in Keith Foulke, the man who led the AL in saves last season.

Schilling and Foulke have both delivered. The former is the team’s most consistent starter, and the latter has been a solidifying presence on the mound in late innings, despite slipping a bit in the final two weeks before the All-Star Game.

With additions like that, Boston should boast one of (if not the) best pitching staffs in baseball. Statistically, the Sox are right there near the top of the league in team ERA all season long.

That said, are you feeling confident about this team’s mound work? I’m not. In fact Schilling, Foulke, and Pedro Martinez are about the only guys I’m relieved to see on the mound these days. The rest of the starting rotation has been a huge disappointment, and the setup corps has been unpredictable and unreliable.

Heading into last night’s late game at Anaheim, the bottom 3/5ths of the Sox rotation was a combined 15-21. Not one of the other three starters had a winning record. The Derek Lowe Project continues to be one of the biggest busts of the MLB season. We keep hearing that his “stuff” is as good as ever and he keeps walking off the field after giving up a big inning.

As for the bullpen, it needs Scott Williamson more than ever.

Suddenly, the Sox are relying on Curtis Leskanic and Ramiro Mendoza, two men who weren’t even in the consciousness of The Nation a month ago.

And defense? Forget it. This club has been near the bottom of the AL defensive rankings all season long. And it’s not just the high number of errors (72 entering the weekend), it’s the lack of confident play in the field. Kevin Millar cost the team two runs with shoddy left field play Thursday night.

He’s an outright liability in the outfield, and far from a gold glove at first. It’s getting tougher and tougher to find a home for him and yet Terry Francona manages to do just that on a nightly basis.

The Red Sox trade deadline is 13 days away. It’s not looking like Randy Johnson will be coming to Boston (hello, New York) so Theo Epstein will have to find help somewhere else. At best, this team needs a starter, a reliever, and a first baseman if it’s serious about contending for an AL playoff spot.

Forget the Yankees, that Angels team that beat up on Boston the first three times out is hungering for the Wild Card that we’ve taken as an AL East birthright.

The clock is ticking on Boston’s options.

The Sox need to answer the wake-up call before it’s too late.

Lewiston native Tom Caron is a NESN sports analyst for Bruins and Red Sox telecasts.