HOUSTON -- In what surely has become a tiresome exercise for the Boston Red Sox general manager, here are the highlights from Ben Cherington Mea Culpa 4.0 (or 40.0, we've lost count):

The team's current predicament: "We're not where we want to be. The last 10 days or so haven't gone well, not the way we wanted it to go. I don't think it changes anything in the big picture. We've still got to pursue things that are going to make us better and continue to try to build a good team."

Taking the blame: "The last two years we haven't delivered. That's the bottom line. No one is more responsible than me for that."

Exonerating the manager: Asked what concerns he had, if any, that the team was not responding to John Farrell's leadership, Cherington said: "I don't have that concern. We're dealing with a number of things. I don't think that's one of the things. We can all be better -- everybody on the field, everybody in the front office. That's what it's going to take. He's part of the solution."

Feeling the fans' pain: "The bottom line is the results haven't been good enough. I still believe that there's a lot of good things going on in the organization, including at the major league level. I still believe sooner rather than later we're going to have a really good team at the major league level and we're going to win more games, but I also understand people are tired of hearing that. They want to see results. We understand that."

Red Sox GM Ben Cherington feels a player such as Pablo Sandoval can fit into the team's long-term plans given a smooth transition period. Jim Davis/The Boston Globe/Getty

On whether Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval fit long-term plans: "I think they can. One of the things that we have been faced with the last two years, and I'm taking responsibility for this, is a lot of transition. There are different transitions. Young players to the big leagues is one form of transition. Players in a new environment, players in a new role or position are other transitions. There's a lot of that the last two years. Sometimes that transition can affect performance. We've seen that historically, and when there's a lot of transition going on, there's some risk the overall performance is affected. One thing I'd like to see is getting past some of those transitions.

"These two guys are prime-age players who have been very good players on winning teams -- last year, very recently. So I haven't seen anything that tells me they won't be part of a winning Red Sox team. We're not winning right now, that's on us."

On moving Ramirez from left field to first base: "We've seen his defense on the road. It looks fine, honestly. Not every play, but it's started to stabilize. At home, there are challenges at home. Try to isolate those things, maybe we can continue to try and improve a little bit. Look, I'm certain Hanley is capable of playing another position at some point, whatever is best for the team. Right now we're committed to him in left field and trying to help him be the best left fielder he can be."

On recalling Jackie Bradley Jr.: "We haven't discussed any calendar for him. He's playing well. Clearly we think he's going to have another opportunity in the big leagues. When that comes, I don't know."

On acquiring a front-line starting pitcher: "We need to continue to improve our pitching, continue to find ways to get more out of guys here, look for potential upgrades outside the organization. I don't think that stops July 31.

"We know that one of the things we need to do is improve our pitching overall. There are all sorts of ways to do that, all sorts of different times to do that. We need to find ways to get better in that area. I think we will. I think certainly we have some solutions here already and some guys we can get more of. That will be an area we continue to look at and talk to teams about now and for the next several months.

"We've never not wanted that guy [an ace]. Just a question of what alternatives are available to you, how to get that guy, how to keep that guy, develop that guy. We think we have guys here capable of being that guy in time. I'm confident we're going to have that kind of pitching at some point moving forward. We may not know what name it is. Look at the best starting pitchers in baseball today; look at their names. Go back two or three years previous. You wouldn't recognize a lot of those names. That list changes a lot. There's a reason for that. We've got to figure out how to maintain a pitching staff."

On how to approach the rest of the season: "There's a lot still to be accomplished. We're not done playing. Every game is important. I believe this team is capable of winning on any night. We haven't delivered nearly enough the last two years. We have to deliver more. Every day is an opportunity to do that, starting today. It doesn't wait 'til the offseason or next year."