How many of us believed the hype about the 2011 Red Sox being "The Best Team Ever," that they'd win at least 100 games, and that their World Series trophy had already been engraved? That's what the Boston press, among other media outlets had been trumpeting since the first week in December, when the Sox had acquired both Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford. After a bizarre and ultimately disappointing 2010 season, Red Sox Nation was ready for some good news. A lot of us really wanted to believe that these two acquisitions would magically turn the 2011 season into another 2007. I was and I still am very happy the Red Sox got both of these players. They have talent in spades and, as far as overpaying for Crawford goes, the free agent market mandates that teams who want premium talent either overpay or miss out.
Now for the reality check, which hit the Sox like a ton of bricks on Opening Weekend in the form of a tsunami of atomic bombs flying from the Rangers' bats out of the park. Eleven total. It was a historic debacle for the Boston boys, with Ian Kinsler being the first batter in MLB history to hit leadoff dingers in two consecutive games. Something went terribly, insanely awry with Red Sox pitchers this series, to the point that none of the starters could keep the ball in the yard to save their lives. If Lester and Buchholz, the two most talented and consistent starters in the rotation can't keep home run balls from flying out left and right, who on the staff can?
The Texas Rangers deserve some credit here for being absolutely ablaze right out of the gate. The reigning AL Champs took the Red Sox to the back of the shed and bludgeoned them into submission. It was a display of power that would be awesome to see if it were coming from the Red Sox bats. They have a great team that has an excellent chance of repeating as league champions. Where they stand relative to the Red Sox remains to be seen, despite their complete dominance of the Sox this past weekend.
The Sox still have a good chance of making the playoffs, but I think expectations need to be adjusted some. In all the excitement about Gonzalez and Crawford, the fact that the rotation is the exact same as last year was conveniently overlooked. Lester doesn't turn on his ace game until May and Buchholz was the beneficiary of an unusually low BABIP (batting average of balls in play) last year. In other words, some luck played a part in his 2.33 ERA. He's still right up there with Lester in talent and will probably have a very successful season, but with a slightly higher ERA. My wishful thinking said Lackey just needed a year to adjust to being in the AL East, but it could be that his stuff doesn't work as well against the powerful offenses of this division. Beckett and Dice-K are truly wild cards. When you don't know what you're going to get out of 60% of your rotation, it's a bit of a stretch to fit them for 2011 World Series rings in December, isn't it? In April, you can put Lester in the group with Beckett, Lackey and Dice-K.
Those who are calling out Curt Young for this weekend's pitching debacle have rather short memories. Besides 2007 and maybe 2008, the Sox pitching staff wasn't necessarily tearing it up with John Farrell either. To tell the truth, I don't know how much of the 2009 and 2010 pitching problems lie with the coach and how much can be attributed to the pitchers themselves. We know Dice-K sacrificed his 2009 season to pitch in the WBC, and the Penny and Smoltz experiments pretty much crashed and burned. In 2010 Beckett was either injured or pitched like he belonged in the lower minors, Lackey ate innings, but gave up too many walks and runs for our liking and for the investment the Sox made in him, and Dice-K alternated brilliance with befuddlement. If they're going to make an October push in 2011, at least two of the three pitchers not named Lester and Buchholz need to step up and put together a solid season with an ERA under 4. Of course, Lester and Buchholz need to continue to pitch well.
After all, while it's way too soon to say the season's over after a mere 3 games, it's also way too early to call the 2011 Red Sox total bitchin' rock stars from Mars either.
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