No Easy Answers

This season hasn't been for the faint of heart. After a glimmer of hope in the sweep of Toronto, the Sox returned to their hapless ways in Baltimore, dropping the first two games to the worst team in baseball and in danger of being swept by said team. One small step forward, two giant steps back. For a team that plays in one of the largest markets in a town that's crazy for sports, especially baseball, the struggles of the 2010 Red Sox are a huge deal. Having their two chief divisional rivals playing so well only makes it worse. Sox fans, especially newer ones accustomed to a team in perennial playoff contention, are in for a long, possibly very depressing, summer of baseball.

Injuries have hurt the team, but that's only part of the picture. The starting rotation is in disarray, despite two gems last week from Buchholz and Lester, and the bullpen is overworked. The hitting is about as streaky as it comes and even the games the Sox have won haven't been easy. I don't believe they've won one yet by more than two runs. The new acquisitions, especially Beltre, have been underperforming. Beltre's average is great, but no power and loads of errors in the field--alarming for a former Gold Glover. Not to mention, he's put the dynamic Ellsbury out of commission indefinitely. The DH, even with the two dingers in last night's game, has a lower batting average than most NL pitchers. It's been a Murphy's Law season for the Red Sox so far. It sure goes to show why baseball games aren't played on paper!

Can this season be salvaged? Do the Sox have any hope of competing with the Yanks and the Rays? It's still only the beginning of May, but I just don't know. I'd like to have faith, but I'm not blind either. I know what's going on on the field and it ain't pretty! The Sox getting schooled by the Orioles of all teams, now that's embarrassing. Right now, there is no guy in the minors or no one available in a trade that can easily slide into this team and make an impact. The Padres are leading their division, so that effectively takes Adrian Gonzalez off the table. As for the unsigned free agents waiting for work...well, there's a reason they're still not signed. The highly-touted prospects in the minors are still a year or two away from being ready to play at the major-league level. No lights-out pitcher is waiting in the wings either. The team right now has to go with who they've got--the question is, will they be digging themselves out of the hole this month, or further into it?

LET'S GO RED SOX!!! PLEASE DON'T GET SWEPT!!!