Stuck in the Middle

It's been awhile, but I've been on the blogging DL with emotional exhaustion. It's been that kind of season. Despite what I said in the last blog I posted a few weeks ago, I have been watching the Sox this month. Just when I tried to avoid watching, I'd get sucked back in again. It's hard to watch the fits and starts as the Sox try to put a run together with their Youk-less, Pedey-less team, underperforming starters, anorexic bullpen and sloppy defense when the game's on the line, but it's just as hard NOT to watch.

Besides the reasons I just listed for where the Sox find themselves in the standings, their poor start in April, when almost everyone was healthy (except for Ells, who got KO'ed by Beltre in the first week of play and lost virtually an entire season) is probably what separates them from the Yankees and the Rays, who have been playing no better than the Red Sox of late. They could have deep-sixed the Sox in July or August, but they couldn't widen the gap enough to do so.
The Sox hung around and won just enough games to keep them out of long, demoralizing losing streaks, but they could never put together long winning streaks either. The longest winning streak this season was a back-to-back sweep of the D-Backs and Dodgers in June, right before the avalanche of injuries occurred.

Rolling off a 10-game winning streak, especially in the second half, would have been a tall order when 60% of the starting rotation was as inconsistent as they were. Add in the lack of all-stars like Youk and Pedey, who would have helped the offense and the defense. Better defense on the right side of the infield, as well as in the outfield, where the absences of Ells and a healthy Mike Cameron would have helped the pitchers as well by converting some of those hits into outs. Guys who were playing hurt, like Scoots and Cam, are troupers for sure, but they also contributed to some of the sloppy play that made losses out of some games that could have been won.

The 2010 season is a weird one in that it has been both exasperating and inspiring, full of if onlys and questions about what might have been if Beltre and Ells had not both gone hard after that fly ball in Kansas City, if Pedey had not rocketed that ball off his foot in San Francisco, or Youk had not done whatever he did to tear that muscle in his hand. If Lackey had pitched like he did in LA as a member of the Angels, if Beckett stayed healthy and actually had to play for a contract next year, and if Dice-K went after hitters all season like he did tonight against the Yankees.

Amid all that went wrong this season, the one thing the Sox did improve on was how they played away from Fenway. Even if they lose all their remaining road games, they will finish the season 3 games over .500 on the road. Part of that is how well Lester and Buchholz pitched in unfriendly territory. Buchholz's road ERA: 2.57. Lester's: 2.33. Lester was actually a better pitcher on the road than at Fenway (3.67) Buch's home ERA: 2.20. Guys like Beltre, who hit slightly better on the road helped too.

The Red Sox record at Fenway, however took a huge hit this season. To date, they are only 10 games over .500 at home. Winning more games on the road is going to come at the expense of a dominant home record for most teams. You'd have to be a world-beating 100-plus win team to be dominant both at home and on the road.

Other good things that came out of this season: Buchholz' breakout year, Lester continuing to establish himself as an elite pitcher, the revival of Lowrie's baseball career along with a little more pop in his bat, the emergence of Kalish, who could find himself back with the big club in 2011, and the performance of replacement players Darnell McDonald and Daniel Nava. Papi's 31 HR, the first time in 3 years he's hit more than 30, Beltre's MVP-caliber offensive numbers, and Bard's presence as a premier setup man are also silver linings to a disappointing season.

Only 7 games remain and the Sox are one loss or Yankees or Rays win away from their "tragic number" coming up. Lester still has one start left in which to earn win #20. Mike Lowell gets his Fenway salute next Saturday afternoon. On Sunday, barring some pigs-flying-over-a-frozen-over-hell epic choketacular by both the Yankees and Rays, coupled with a shifting of cosmic forces hurtling the Red Sox into an alternate universe where Youk, Pedey, Ells, and Cam are healthy and the pitching staff is equipped with bionic arms programmed to execute pitches with pinpoint location, the Sox play their last game of 2010. What long, freakishly bizarre trip it has been.

Give Dice-K props for stepping up and delivering a fine performance tonight. It's too bad the 'pen didn't follow his lead especially a certain closer with dollar signs in his eyes. The chump of an ump squeezed him like a lemon and Scoots let a few scoot by him, but eight blown saves? Really, Pap? Really????