The Boston Red Sox are in an all-out dash into October. Every game these days affects their playoff odds considerably depending on whether it’s a victory or a defeat.

Entering play Sunday, the Red Sox trailed the Kansas City Royals by 2.5 games for the American League’s last Wild Card place. Having defeated the Royals four to two in the season series, Boston would make it to October if the two teams tied. But there’s still a hill to climb.

Mired in the thick of their worst 10-game stretch of the season, the Red Sox have shown fortitude by winning four of their six games this week.

But they’ve also revealed their ugly side, which has the potential to be their Achilles Heel down the stretch. And one baseball writer believes their deficiencies can be condensed down to a simple statement regarding a certain position group.

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report claimed that the number-one red flag for the Red Sox at the time is that the team’s pitching has “really gone south.”

“Boston hurlers rank last in MLB with a 6.14 ERA since the All-Star break, for which it hasn’t helped that they’ve served up 12 more home runs than any other staff,” Rymer added. “If this team misses the playoffs, there’s your culprit.”

The home run ball has been an aberration for the Red Sox recently, losing them games on many occasions. Wednesday’s game against the Texas Rangers was a noteworthy example, in which Josh Winckowski allowed a game-tying three-run homer and Zack Kelly let up the game-winning two-run shot in overtime.

Boston has allowed an amazing 56 home runs since the All-Star break in just 27 games. For comparison, they allowed 96 home runs in 95 games before the break, indicating their home run rate has practically doubled.

A few pitchers can be singled out as perpetrators. Kutter Crawford is tied for the MLB lead in home runs allowed with 27, including 13 in the second half.

Nick Pivetta’s 1.9 HR/9 is among the highest in baseball/ And trade addition Luis García has allowed four in just 11.2 innings thrown with Boston.

At some point, one would believe there’s an element of randomness to allowing home runs that could eventually swing back in the Red Sox’s favor. But if that’s the case, they surely can’t afford to wait long for their luck to change.

It would undoubtedly behoove the Red Sox, by coincidence or by decision, to stop leaving pitches over the heart of the plate. Their postseason lives rely on it.