At the start of this month, the Red Sox had the best record in the American League and a two-game lead in the division. But thanks to a 9-15 June, they've dropped six and a half games in the standings since then and are holding on to an evaporating half-game lead in the wild card.

Alex attempts to diagnose the Red Sox's problems inside this edition of Without a Curse, which start with this rotten starting rotation. As it stands today, Boston only has three major league caliber starters. Too bad you need five.

The starting pitching isn't the only reason for the Red Sox's prolonged slump, though. The bench is abysmally thin and questions persist whether John Farrell should remain the manager. It's shaping up to be a painful summer.

Follow Alex on Twitter, @AlexReimer1.