12 hits and 5 runs is not shitting the bed.
I put this season almost entirely on the pitching. You can point out where we lost games only scoring 2 runs or 1 run. That happens every season. What shouldn't happen is the mood on the club being constantly deflated by extremely shitty pitching performances. Your starting pitching, and to a lesser extent your set up people and closer, set the tone for the whole team. If they are are unreliable, where does the confidence come from? Pierce's teams have usually liked to operate from ahead, trying to put pressure on people early. When you are constantly playing from behind early, or your pen is constantly not holding teams after you score, doubt grows and people press at the plate.
All that said, I don't like how home run centric some on this team have become. Baseball at this level is not about hitting .250 and hitting double digit home runs. It's about getting on base. We have too many guys who don't prioritize getting on base.