It's time.

It’s time to forget the notion that this thing is salvageable, that after winning only 63 of 141 games since last September there’s a surge suddenly coming, that they’re anything better than the ninth-best team in the American League. It’s time to accept a reality that’s as rough as losing four of five to the lowly Indians and lowlier Twins in the span of eight crucial days.

It’s time for the Red Sox to give up on this season and begin moving forward.

It’s time to acknowledge that the focus should be tomorrow, not today, with the hope that doing so will put them in a better position to make proper choices when they set out to fix the problems that may otherwise be too numerous to address in a single offseason. It’s time to clear the way for experimentation, so the trial-and-error isn’t taking place with consequences next April.

It’s time to let Franklin Morales to take a regular turn in the starting rotation, for no reason other than to see if the 3.06 starter’s earned run average he carried into Saturday is for real. Instead of waiting until spring training to officially start the conversion, the Sox should take advantage of these eight or nine remaining outings to evaluate him, then commit to a plan for his future.

It’s time to move Kelly Shoppach. The club so wants Ryan Lavarnway in the big leagues that rather than send him back to the minors Wednesday, they disabled Vicente Padilla — thereby keeping three catchers active on a day they had only three available relievers. Lavarnway will take Shoppach’s role next season. Let him take it now.

It’s time to explore trade possibilities for Cody Ross. He is unquestionably a player the Sox should try to re-sign after the season, but that doesn’t mean they can’t do that after dealing him. Any contender in need of a right-handed bat would love to have the 2010 NLCS MVP, so he might be the Sox’ biggest trade chip. Unless they extend his expiring deal now, it makes sense to cash that in.

It’s time to look forward at shortstop. Whether it’s trading Mike Aviles, or moving him to the utility role for which he was projected pre-Marco Scutaro trade last winter, the Sox should explore their future at his position. Give Pedro Ciriaco a chance he can play there full-time next season — because, if he can, the club may be able to deal 22-year-old defensive whiz Jose Iglesias this winter knowing 19-year-old stud Xander Bogaerts is already up to Double-A and could be big-league ready by 2014. With Ciriaco’s emergence as a possible stopgap, Aviles is expendable.

It’s time to start selling off any of the ancillary pieces that aren’t definitely part of the future, but may bring something — anything — of even minimal value in return. Aaron Cook and Nick Punto join Shoppach, Ross and Aviles on that list.

It’s time to come to an understanding with David Ortiz that both sides want him back next season — so they should take the precautions necessary to ensure he does so with full health. The soreness in his Achilles is persistent, and at 36 there’s no need to rush him back on a team that’s going nowhere. Let the heel heal.

It’s time to sit Felix Doubront for more than just one start. The club will skip him next time through the rotation, but he’s approaching his previous high for professional innings in a season — and they’ve been hard innings, considering he’s needed an average of 18 pitches per. He’s done enough to show he belongs in the 2013 rotation. Protect him now to make sure he can get there.

It’s time, in fact, to make a determination of whether the club is comfortable with a starting staff of Doubront, Morales, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and somebody else, because that level of comfort could directly correlate to how much money they’re willing to swallow in order to move on from Josh Beckett and/or John Lackey.

It’s time to make a determination on Bobby Valentine. If he’s absolved of blame for this lost campaign, and coming back, say it loud and clear. If not, fire him now and try to determine whether Tim Bogar or Jerry Royster can do the job. Either way, it’s a necessary step in the cleansing.

It’s time to stop insulting the intelligence of the fans. They know what this team is at 56-58 on Aug. 11. They know there are as many teams ahead of them as behind in the American League wild card race. They know their team is bad at home (29-34), bad against winning opponents (29-39), bad versus right-handed pitching (33-44 through Friday).

It’s time to recognize that the fans realize a club of those credentials is going nowhere — either before October or, by some unforeseen surge, in it — and that they’d rather abandon this lost cause than go through another next year. It’s time to reflect an understanding that injuries, attitude and peripheral issues didn’t damn this team as much as its general underperformance.

It’s time to show evidence that ownership still believes baseball is more important than sellouts or star power. It’s time to reward the loyalty of the fanbase by demonstrating that mediocrity isn’t an acceptable standard just because the crowds still show. It’s time to respect Red Sox Nation by admitting that something is wrong.

It’s time to give up on this season and move forward.

It’s, simply, time.

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STAT OF THE WEEK: Since the All-Star break, Clay Buchholz’s ERA is 1.15. The rest of the Red Sox pitching staff entered Saturday with a 5.36 ERA over that span; the rest of the starters were at 6.05.

Dave D’Onofrio covers the Red Sox for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. His e-mail address is ddonof13@gmail.com.