Red Sox Manager Alex Cora argues with umpire Andy Fletcher during a game earlier this season. Cora’s Red Sox went 13-15 in August and were 4 1/2 games out of the AL wild-card race entering Tuesday’s game. Charles Krupa/Associated Press

T.S. Eliot wrote that April was the cruelest month. And though Eliot came from a prominent Boston family, he clearly wasn’t a Red Sox fan.

That’s because we know that August has been the cruelest month for the Red Sox. Despite all the optimism and good vibes, 2024 has been more of the same.

The Sox lost 2 of 3 in Detroit over the weekend, arriving in New York on Sunday night 4 1/2 games out of the wild-card race with four weeks remaining. I’ve always said to be a viable contender you need to have more weeks remaining in the season than you are games behind in the playoff race.

The Sox may get back under that line, but they have stumbled outside of the pack. Blame another bad August. Boston went 13-15 in August, the fifth consecutive year the Red Sox posted a losing record for the month. They’ve made the playoffs just once in that span. They finished dead last in the other three seasons. Time will tell where this team finishes.

There is much more enthusiasm surrounding this year’s team than there was at this time a year ago. The Sox hit September 3 1/2 games out of the playoffs, a full two games closer than where they were a year ago. That’s good news.

The bad news is that their 70-67 record is actually one game worse than their record after the same number of games last season. And that team finished in last place.

This team has overachieved for much of the season, showing a resiliency rarely seen in such a young team. Young position players have blossomed before our eyes, even as the pitching has struggled. After giving up four runs Sunday, Sox relievers had the highest ERA in the majors.

Manager Alex Cora has been saying the goal for his team was to get to Sept. 1 with its playoff hopes intact. That happened, barely. The season ends in less than four weeks and the Sox have been treading water for weeks. They have hovered between 2 1/2 and five games out of the race, not falling out of things but not making a significant move, either.

Cora’s hopes is that Fenway Park will be energized by the playoff race and the Sox will ride that to success at home. The Sox, one of the best road teams in baseball, have been a woeful 31-38 at home. The Sox have only sold out six of those games, and there are many nights that visiting fans are louder than Boston supporters.

“We actually believe we can do more … Now we go,” Cora said. “We’ve got to play better baseball but it should be fun the rest of the way.”

Cora hopes his team can replicate the magic of 2021, when the Red Sox went 17-11 after August and made the playoffs on the final day of the season. Fenway Park was rocking as the Sox rode the magic and fell two wins shy of the American League pennant.

There is a feeling that the young nucleus of Red Sox players are now coming together and that the future looks bright. The Sox will need to add pitching this offseason to bring that bright future to fruition. That hasn’t changed.

Neither has the team’s struggles in August. Cora is hoping last month doesn’t keep his team from playing postseason baseball next month.

Tom Caron is a studio host for the Red Sox broadcast on NESN.