One Good Turn

As much as I've ripped the Red Sox when they've played like Charlie Brown's baseball team (you know, the one that loses games by such impossible scores as 200-0), I have to give credit where credit is due.   The beleaguered starting rotation, beginning last Friday with Clay Buchholz, has put together a string of outings which range from solid (Buchholz) to very strong (Doubront and Bard) to stellar (Lester and Beckett).    Not coincidentally, the Sox have won all 5 of those games:  3 (out of 4) against the Indians and 2 against the Mariners.   It makes the offense's job a lot easier when the starters can go deep into games and keep runs off the board.   Ergo, you get the productive at-bats and timely hitting that too often went missing when the offense was trying to play catch-up as the pitchers handed out runs like Halloween candy.   

 I'm far from the first person to say that winning baseball games starts with the pitching, particularly the starters, and I certainly won't be the last.  At the risk of stating the obvious, pitchers who work economically, attacking the strike zone and keeping the base runners to a minimum can pitch deeper into games and limit bullpen exposure.    In the meantime, the offense can relax and put together quality at-bats instead of swinging anxiously at first pitches and making easy outs.   It doesn't always work that way; a pitcher can be absolutely dealing, but the offense can't manage to push across a run.   Conversely, the bats can bail out a pitcher who can't seem to hold onto a lead.    However, it's hard to win many games with a glacial offense or a relentless game of catch-up.   Wins come more consistently when an offense like that of the Red Sox can do its job without having to worry about their lead perpetually evaporating.    

 All that said, it's heartening to see all 5 starters step up and put together a string of starts that make us think "maybe this rotation isn't so bad after all."   Are they hearing the footsteps of one Daisuke Matsuzaka?   Starting tomorrow, the Sox have a rather challenging roadie through St. Pete, Philly, and Baltimore (given the way the O's are playing so far this year and what they did to the Sox at Fenway, they're not going to be the cakewalk they used to be).    Philly is off to a rough start this season, but we can only pray the Sox don't have to face Cole Hamels.   This trip is an excellent opportunity for the rotation to continue the run of success they started on the home stand, to prove it wasn't a fluke.  Aren't we glad that rumors of their bizarre allergy to playing at Fenway were greatly exaggerated?