Sizing Up The First Half

It started with a sputter, like a car that just won't start. It ended up on a high note, with the Sox reaching 20 games over .500 for the first time this season and possessing not only the top spot in the AL East, but the best record in the American League. Here are some of the key storylines in the soap opera that was Red Sox 2011 Season: Part I

Revolving-Door Rotation To begin the season, the Red Sox starting rotation was as follows:
Jon Lester
John Lackey
Clay Buchholz
Josh Beckett
Daisuke Matsuzaka.

The last 5 starts heading into the break: Tim Wakefield
Andrew Miller
Josh Beckett
John Lackey
Kyle Weiland.

The following pitchers have made starts during the first half:
Jon Lester
John Lackey
Clay Buchholz
Josh Beckett
Daisuke Matsuzaka
Tim Wakefield
Alfredo Aceves
Andrew Miller
Kyle Weiland

The following starting pitchers have been on the DL:
Jon Lester
John Lackey
Clay Buchholz
Daisuke Matsuzaka (season-ending Tommy John surgery)

Black Hole in Right Field It has been the least productive position for the Red Sox in the first half. In fact, the Red Sox right field production is near the last in the majors in average (29th, .220), OBP (30th, .302), OPS (29th, .638) SLG (28th, .335). A combination of JD Drew's steep decline at the plate and largely ineffective platoon players in Darnell McDonald and Mike Cameron (who was recently traded to the Marlins for cash and a player to be named later) has accounted for this hole. Overall, however, the right field abyss has not taken away from the Red Sox' status as the top offense in the majors. Imagine how insane their numbers would be with halfway decent starting right field production. Bolstering right field is a trade deadline target.

Hitting on All Cylinders (Most of the Time) When the Red Sox acquired Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford in the offseason, fans and management alike had big dreams of an offensive juggernaut. Beginning of the season and interleague play aside, the dreams have come to fruition. The Red Sox lead the majors in the following offensive categories:

Batting average: .278
Runs scored: 482
Hits: 872
Doubles: 195
RBI: 465
Walks: 345
On Base Percentage: .354
Slugging Percentage: .456
On Base Plus Slugging: .810
Extra-Base Hits: 323
Total Bases: 1430

All this is without much production from right field and with Carl Crawford yet to reach his career norms at the plate. There have been times when the offense has been a bit streaky and it appears as if the players are bulbs in a single-circuit string of Christmas lights--when one slumps, they all slump. However, the hot stretches have so far outnumbered and outlasted the cold spells.

SalTek: A Mutually Beneficial Arrangement Like the rest of the team, the Jarrod Saltalamacchia/Jason Varitek catching tandem started out pretty rough, with abysmal batting averages, sloppy defense, and clamoring to lure Bengie Molina out of retirement. Slowly but surely, the 39-year-old team captain and his 26-year-old protege found a distribution of labor that suited both of them, allowing Tek to stay fresh while allowing Salty to improve his skills, both at and behind the plate. Both catchers are batting just over .250 and doing a decent job behind the plate as well. Stolen bases are still a problem, but part of that problem lies with the pitchers not being quick enough to the plate.

Adrian "MVP" Gonzalez He's a team-first guy who gives the impression not giving a rodent's posterior about his personal achievements, but Gonzo's putting together a nice campaign for AL MVP, leading the majors in two triple-crown categories. He is tied with Jose Reyes for the batting average lead at .354 and he's all alone at the top of the RBI race with 77. He's played in all but one game so far this season and his presence in the lineup and acute knowledge of hitting mechanics has even helped Papi revitalize his career.

Welcome Back, Jacoby! Who could have imagined a more impressive comeback year than Jacoby Ellsbury is having? Batting .316 with a .377 OBP, 11 HR, 49 RBI, and 28 steals, Ells has earned himself his first ever All-Star berth and has become the leadoff hitter the Red Sox have always envisioned him being. He's reached a double-digit home run total for the first time in his career. Not bad for only playing 18 games last year!

Youk and Pedey: Dirt Dogs Got Their Groove Back Coming into this season, Youk and Pedey were working their way back from injuries that ended their 2010 seasons prematurely. Youk had a bum thumb and Pedey, a screwy foot. The road back to Youkness and Pedeyness wasn't always smooth and they struggled to get it going at the plate in the early months of the season. With their batting averages back up into the .280s, they're looking a lot more like themselves of late. Youk still struggles away from Fenway, but his power numbers are pretty much where they should be for him (13 HR, 63 RBI) and has been named an All-Star in place of knee surgery-bound A-Rod. Pedey's been going on a home run tear of late, going yard 4 times in the last 6 games.

Road Warriors At 27-18 the Red Sox have the best road record in the majors. For a team that has, in recent years, struggled away from the Fens, and began this season 0-7 on the road, this is pretty remarkable. Even their most recent road trip, which took them to 3 NL parks where the DH was verboten, they finished with a 5-4 record. Their best road trip, which took them to Yankee Stadium, Toronto, and Tampa Bay, yielded them an 8-1 record.

Fun At Yankee Stadium Part of the reason the Red Sox are ahead of the Yankees in the standings right now is the teams' head-to-head record. The Sox have taken 8 of the first 9 games in the season series and all 6 so far in Yankee Stadium. One caveat: Remember the first half of 2009? The Red Sox dominated the Yankees in the first half and the reverse happened in the second half. The Yankees, no doubt, have not forgotten this and it's up to the Red Sox to make 2011 a different story.

All in all, it's been an exciting first half and the Red Sox are in a great position going into the All-Star Break. Key to the second half would be keeping what seems to be the annual Post-All-Star slump to a minimum and keep going full throttle at the plate while Lester and Buchholz recover from their injuries. It's okay to keep raking even when they're back too!

Monday, Papi and Gonzo team up with Cano and Bautista in the Home Run Derby. Tuesday, they are joined by Youk, Ells, and Beckett in the All-Star Game. Go American League!