Sox Offenders
Week One A Weak One
How long before Red Sox Nation begins lamenting the loss of Manny Ramirez? They've only scratched out 22 runs in the first six games, and dropped a couple of one-run games in the process. A lead-off hitter batting two hundred and change, the defending MVP looking up at two hundred, and Big Papi...you guessed it, two hundred. Take Youk, Bay and – hard to believe – Tek out of the equation, and the Sox might be winless. Jed Lowrie has already left four hundred runners on base and if he doesn't turn it around on the road, the Fenway fanatics will be screaming for Lugo when they return home. Think about that.
Not that the pitching staff has much to write home about. Josh Beckett is the only starter that's gone deeper than six innings or has an ERA under four and a half. Dice-K pitched batting practice in his five-plus innings, and Lester gave up eight runs in his five-inning start. In the pen, Saito, Okajima and Masterson have given up seven runs in five innings. Even Papelbon struggled in his second save, unable to finish off hitters after getting them in an 0-2 hole. The few bright spots have been Ramon Ramirez and Manny Delcarmen, but it's not enough.
To add insult to the dismal 2-4 start, Beckett instigated a bench-clearing near-brawl in Sunday's game by throwing over Bobby Abreu's head, getting Torii Hunter, Justin Speier and Mike Scioscia ejected, then gave up the lead to Abreu his next at-bat. Momentum gone, game lost, leaving the Sox looking like the playground bully that got beat up by the new kid in school.
Six games does not a season make (yeah, you can quote me on that) but there are some disturbing trends developing. A .329 OBP for the team plus 36 K's and only 24 walks equals a whole lot of suck. The runners that get on base end up stranded there. We are lacking the elusive “big hit” - something Manny used to deliver on a regular basis. The pitching staff has become fond of the free pass, walking 26 batters in 52 innings.
It's not any one, glaring deficiency that needs to be fixed. It's more like a series of unfortunate events, if you will. And given it's just a six-game sample, it will probably mean absolutely nothing by the All Star break. We hope. Because we have high expectations for this team, and a little bit of payback to a team down south. People tend to discount the April games, but they count and are not to be squandered. I'm on record having the Sox win the division and the Rays finish under .500 so what do I know.
Rest in peace, Mark Fidrych.
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