They've been a pitcher's worst nightmare so far on this road trip. One by one, they've been devouring the opposing teams' starters, as well as their bullpens. The Yankees were happy to bid them good riddance, as are the Blue Jays. The Red Sox bats have been scorching through their division rivals after sweeping the A's to end their last homestand. They now have the longest win streak so far in the majors this year and the longest for them in over two years.
As ugly as the Red Sox' offensive stats looked at the beginning of the season, they look that much prettier now: They lead the majors in batting average, runs scored, on-base percentage, and OPS (on-base plus slugging) and are second in slugging percentage. Adrian Gonzalez leads the AL in 2 of the 3 triple crown categories (batting average and RBI) and the majors in RBI and looks like he could give Jose Bautista a run for his money as an MVP candidate. Big Papi has turned back the clock to 2007, hitting for average as well as power. Youk and Pedey look to be heating up after slow starts. Scoots has been earning his job back as the everyday shortstop upon returning from the DL. Crawford continues to improve his performance at the plate and Ells has become the quintessential leadoff hitter. Tek and Salty are giving the team some pop from the catcher position. Drew and Lowrie are on the schneid, but with the rest of the team hitting like they have been, their slumps have hardly been a problem.
The scary-good offense has helped on the other side of the ball as well. Pitchers feel freer to go after hitters when they're getting boatloads of run support. Seeing the Red Sox play the kind of baseball they're playing now is thrilling, especially after watching them chase their collective tails in April. Tomorrow, they have an off day in Tampa Bay before starting a 3-gamer against the Rays. I hope that off-day allows them to catch their breath, but doesn't kill their momentum. With the Yankees keeping pace, not allowing the Red Sox to gain any more distance in the East, the Sox need to keep charging through and make the statement that this division is theirs. When they come back from Tampa, they dive into interleague play, where they usually do pretty well.
By the way, the offensive categories aren't the only ones that have Red Sox among the league leaders. Lester, winning his ninth game in today's rout, leads the league in wins and Beckett still leads in ERA at 2.06. It's great to see all the talent on this team start producing at such a high level. The pre-season hype may have been premature, but when this team plays to their potential, it starts to make more sense.
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