Keys to the Second Half

Coming into the second half, the Red Sox sit one game above the Yankees in the AL East and have the best record in the league (the second-best in baseball, behind the Phillies by a game and a half). They've come along way since their bafflingly miserable start, but they have a long way to go if they want to make a comeback to the playoff scene after a one-year absence. What will determine the fate of the Red Sox 2011 season? Let's take a look:

1. Pitching, Pitching, Pitching! In order to make it to October, the Red Sox are going to need to have their top 3 starting pitchers healthy and effective. As of now, the health part is very much in question and this is the most troubling development going forward. Without, at the very least, 2 of the 3 back in the rotation and pitching well soon, things could get very interesting in the division.
The medical staff says all three injuries are "minor" but this medical staff has made some questionable diagnoses and assessments over the past year or so and I take their claims with a huge grain of salt. How many times have we heard that a player is healthy and cleared to play only for them to go out and get re-injured (cases in point, Ells and Pedey last year). Or how many times have "two weeks" turned into "two months"? Theo Epstein needs accurate information in order to decide what needs to be done at the trade deadline. I have a hunch a high-quality starting pitcher may be needed.

2. What of Crawford? Carl Crawford is due to return from the DL early next week, in time for the series in Baltimore. What will the Red Sox see from him in the second half? Will he continue the course of improvement he was on before he got hurt? Let's hope so, especially while the top of the rotation is on the shelf. The Sox are going to need all the offense they can get with a rotation of Wake, Miller, Lackey, and whoever else fills in.

3. Making Right Field Right Again What does JD Drew have left in the tank? Can we expect more production and less strikeouts and groundouts to second base? The platoon with D-Mac is not working out and Reddick isn't being given the chance to start against lefties. Is Reddick ready to play right field full-time or will he be trade bait for a right-handed bat? If Reddick is ready for a full-time role, where does that leave Drew? Waivers, perhaps?

4. Jenks: Valuable 'Pen Piece or Jinx? Bobby Jenks has a lot to prove in the second half. He has battled injury and ineffectiveness in the first half and hasn't been the answer the Red Sox needed to take some of the setup load off of Bard.

5. The Competition It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the Red Sox' biggest competition in the league is their archrivals, the Yankees. The Yanks have some issues of their own, with A-Rod missing time with knee surgery, not knowing exactly what they have in Phil Hughes, and aging pitchers in Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia perhaps regressing to their norms. Their lineup has more home run power than that of the Red Sox, but trails the Sox in most of the other offensive categories. Still, they aren't having to go without CC Sabathia in their starting rotation.
The Rays are not to be dismissed either. Their pitching has kept them within striking distance and while their offense isn't anything to write home about, their rotation is so effective they don't need to score a whole lot of runs to win games.
The Rangers, Tigers, Indians and Angels are possible competition if the Sox should end up competing for a wild card spot. The Red Sox have to play the Rangers in two more series and the Indians in one more.

In other Red Sox news, Papi has been handed down a 4-game suspension as a result of last Friday's fracas with the Orioles. I hope he and the Sox decide to appeal so he's available against Tampa Bay. We know how much the offense struggled in interleague when Papi was riding pine and it would be nice to at least have Crawford back before Papi has to do his time.