The Boston Red Sox have started the year not quite the way you would hope the reigning World Champions would.

Bad breaks, unlucky calls and some overall poor play have led the Sox to an 8-10 record through the team’s first 18 games. Should fans start to hit the panic button already?

Last year nearly everything went right for the Red Sox. From Koji Uehara having a career year to David Ortiz’s legendary performance in the playoffs, the Red Sox never really hit a bad stretch of baseball. From Opening Day onward they were playing well and barely ever seemed to hit a bump in the road on the field or off of it. Unfortunately, this type of play would be hard to replicate.

Enter 2014. Even in Spring Training it was apparent this team would not benefit from the same good luck as last year’s squad. Jake Peavy nearly cuts his finger off while taking his son fishing. Manager John Farrell is clearly not happy with the defensive skill of the left side of the infield, and even David Ortiz is complaining about a contract extension. The spring was a very busy time for the Red Sox for the wrong reasons. And now that same theme has carried into the regular season.

Starting pitcher John Lackey has had some rough starts, shortstop Xander Bogaerts looks mediocre at best defensively, and right fielder Shane Victorino has yet to step on the field. The cards have not fallen well for the Red Sox this far in the season. Tempers are starting to rise as well, with Farrell criticizing the replay system and continuing the circus that has been Boston Red Sox baseball.

Fortunately, the season is still early. An MLB campaign is a marathon, not a sprint, as the 162 game season makes it so a team can afford having a rough stretch and still put together a successful season.

So is it time for Red Sox fans to panic and give up on the season entirely? No. This team does have talent and has shown that they are a deadly team come October. Fans should not think that because they are the defending World Series Champions that they are entitled to making the playoffs this year. The Red Sox do need to start putting some good baseball together sooner rather than later to put some faith in not only themselves, but also the fan base.

This season could very well turn into a circus season like 2012 very quickly. So hold off on hitting that panic button, Red Sox fans. But I would keep your button hand ready until they show signs of life for 2014.