Something beautiful happened on Memorial Day Monday. The Red Sox woke up from their coma and remembered that they are the defending World Series champions and that they were capable of winning baseball games! They put their catastrophic 10-game losing streak behind them and started a much more pleasant streak at the expense of the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves. The beginnings of their emergence from the darkness were like anyone awakening after a long slumber, disoriented and confused (courtesy of a patented 2014 Clay Buchholz performance) but they came back from the 5-run hole to defeat the Braves 8-6.
Riding some momentum for what looked like the first time this season, they rode a solid, if unspectacular Lester start and a 4-run 7th inning to a second victory. Coming home to Fenway after two games that were encouragingly reminiscent of the 2013 team, they gave John Lackey 3 runs more than he needed after shutting out the Braves over 6.1 innings with 9 Ks. It was their first shutout of the season. Their winning streak now stands at 3 games, their longest so far in 2014.
They have a chance to sweep the Braves tomorrow night and extend their winning streak to 4. However, with Jake Peavy on the mound, that might be a tall order. Still, if the Red Sox are going anywhere this season, they will need to dig out of the hole created by the 10-game losing streak sooner rather than later. These past three games have been a ray of hope, but there is much work to be done to get back into the division race. For that to happen, the back of the rotation needs to start pulling its weight and the offense needs to avoid any more prolonged slumps.
For the record, I am not expecting the Sox to repeat as World Series champions. At this point in the season given what has happened, my expectations for them are simply to contend for a playoff spot and play relevant games in September. If they turn things around in June, I would like to see them make a trade or two at the deadline to upgrade their starting rotation and/or the outfield.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Blind Squirrel Theory and other Red Sox ramblings
The 2014 Red Sox, determined as ever to erase the memory of the magical 2013 season, are into the double digits in their losing streak, making even the Bobby V disaster of 2012 look less atrocious by comparison. Right now it looks like they will never win another game, having seemingly plumb forgot how to win baseball games. But will they really end up with a 20-142 record? Even the worst teams haven't "accomplished" that over a 162 game series. The infamous 1962 Mets won 40 games.
This begs the question, when will the 2014 Boston Blind Squirrels find their first acorn since May 14? How many more acorns will they find before the season is out? 20? 30? Will they win more games than the Houston Astros? What does the 2015 draft class look like?
The last time the Red Sox dropped 10 in a row was in 1994. 20 years ago. The season that began in the spring of my senior year in high school. That season was put out of its misery by a player's strike in August of that year. I don't see the Sox getting any sort of reprieve this season. Stephen Drew alone is not going to fix all that ails this team.
What does ail this team? Let's make a list:
1. Complacency. I won't go as far as to say that winning it all last year was a bad thing for the Red Sox. Obviously, winning a World Series is never, ever a bad thing. However, the drive and hunger that seemed to galvanize the team last year is nowhere to be found this year. Not all of this is on the players. The front office shares a considerable part of the blame, relying on magical/wishful thinking when putting together the 2014 team instead of shoring up areas of need (the outfield being the area of greatest need).
2. Injuries. Shane Victorino being a walking DL doesn't help, given the lack of defensive prowess of the rest of the outfield not named Jackie Bradley Jr. Fellow walking DL Mike Napoli is aching pretty much everywhere. Middlebrooks is no paragon of health either. However, you can't give the Red Sox a complete pass on injuries, as there are several teams in the league far more decimated such as the Texas Rangers and the team that just swept them, the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays got helped out of the basement by simply showing up to play the Red Sox. The Rangers have their head above water despite losing Prince Fielder, Jurickson Profar, a bunch of pitchers, and I'm probably leaving out a few of the Texas walking wounded.
3. Flattened Offense. The 2013 Red Sox were the most prolific run-producers in all of baseball last year. Even the 2012 Red Sox were more capable of the bat (well, until the post-Big Trade lineup in late August through September). The 2014 Red Sox have given up on the running game after failing so miserably at it so far this season. Jacoby Ellsbury's absence is hurting them tremendously. Should they have signed them to a megadeal like the Yankees did? The answer is less clear now than it was before the season. He is a home-grown talent, but he missed two of the past three seasons due to injury. Still, his presence as a base-stealing leadoff hitter made the entire lineup better. The 2014 Red Sox are finding out just how hard it is to replace his skill set at the top of the lineup. Without the running game, the pitcher can focus all of his attention on the hitter, making it all the easier to get him out.
4. Volatile Starting Pitching. Wouldn't Masahiro Tanaka look much nicer in a Red Sox uniform than those stupid pinstripes? With Jake Peavy, Felix Doubront and Clay Buchholz actually making me miss Ryan Dempster, the Red Sox starting rotation, aside from Jon Lester and John Lackey are a nuclear meltdown waiting to happen 3 out of 5 games. Even Lester and Lackey haven't been able to stop the bleeding during this 10 game nosedive.
5. Swiss Cheese Defense. This metaphor is actually a rather unfair one. Unfair to Swiss cheese, that is; I really like the stuff. The left side of the infield is fair game for line drives, grounders, tractor-trailers and possibly even mobile homes. In the absence of Victorino, anything out of Bradley's reach is fair game as well. Not to mention behind the plate. Bad defense makes good pitching even more difficult.
6. An F in Chemistry. With Ellsbury, Jarrod Saltalamachhia and Drew apparently went the team's inspiring chemistry that helped fuel their championship run. Drew's on his way back, but the other two aren't appearing in the home dugout at Fenway anymore. Salty's successor in particular was a head-scratching move by the front office. Two aging catchers behind the plate is just asking for trouble. Particularly when one of them comes with the reputation preceding A.J. Pierzynski. Besides making Lester look like his 2012 self, leading to David Ross starting most of the games he pitches, he just doesn't seem to fit well with this clubhouse. That and he tends to end many a rally by grounding into a double play.
7. No R.O.Y. Candidates Here. While Middlebrooks has too much service time to be called a rookie, Xander Bogaerts and Bradley are most definitely rooks. Middlebrooks is proving that his 2012 success (as one of the few bright spots from that season) was a case of sample size. Bradley is still lost at the plate against major league pitching. Only his glove keeps him from being sent back to AAA. Bogaerts is the most promising, but he has struggled too. His struggles are primarily on the defensive end and, combined with the struggles of Middlebrooks at the plate, prompted the Sox to resign Drew. Bogaerts hasn't been the dynamic force with the bat yet, but he's putting up a passable average for a rookie, despite his struggles with RISP.
8. Lineup Instability. This plagued the Sox in 2012 under Bobby V as well. Injuries have forced some changes, but John Farrell's tendency to sit two healthy starters at once is frustrating and it puts undue pressure on the rest of the lineup.
9. Cut Down to Size(more). Spring Training performances are almost always a mirage. In Spring 2013 it was Jackie Bradley, Jr. In Spring 2014 it was Grady Sizemore. Shortly after real baseball started, the clock struck midnight on Sizemore. His time away from major league competition has really started to show and he's performing below replacement level.
10. The Red Sox' Performance is Bipolar. From September 2011 through this current 10-game losing streak, the Red Sox have been an extremely all-or-nothing team. From the last month of 2011 through the entire 2012 season, their performance resembled depression. At the start of the 2013 season, the depression had shifted to mania and remained there for the entire championship run. The thrill was gone once the 2014 season began. General malaise has turned into a downward spiral that could doom their season if it continues any longer.
There you have it. One issue for every loss in this streak. Please don't make me think of a #11, Red Sox. Dig deep and find ways to win for a change.
This begs the question, when will the 2014 Boston Blind Squirrels find their first acorn since May 14? How many more acorns will they find before the season is out? 20? 30? Will they win more games than the Houston Astros? What does the 2015 draft class look like?
The last time the Red Sox dropped 10 in a row was in 1994. 20 years ago. The season that began in the spring of my senior year in high school. That season was put out of its misery by a player's strike in August of that year. I don't see the Sox getting any sort of reprieve this season. Stephen Drew alone is not going to fix all that ails this team.
What does ail this team? Let's make a list:
1. Complacency. I won't go as far as to say that winning it all last year was a bad thing for the Red Sox. Obviously, winning a World Series is never, ever a bad thing. However, the drive and hunger that seemed to galvanize the team last year is nowhere to be found this year. Not all of this is on the players. The front office shares a considerable part of the blame, relying on magical/wishful thinking when putting together the 2014 team instead of shoring up areas of need (the outfield being the area of greatest need).
2. Injuries. Shane Victorino being a walking DL doesn't help, given the lack of defensive prowess of the rest of the outfield not named Jackie Bradley Jr. Fellow walking DL Mike Napoli is aching pretty much everywhere. Middlebrooks is no paragon of health either. However, you can't give the Red Sox a complete pass on injuries, as there are several teams in the league far more decimated such as the Texas Rangers and the team that just swept them, the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays got helped out of the basement by simply showing up to play the Red Sox. The Rangers have their head above water despite losing Prince Fielder, Jurickson Profar, a bunch of pitchers, and I'm probably leaving out a few of the Texas walking wounded.
3. Flattened Offense. The 2013 Red Sox were the most prolific run-producers in all of baseball last year. Even the 2012 Red Sox were more capable of the bat (well, until the post-Big Trade lineup in late August through September). The 2014 Red Sox have given up on the running game after failing so miserably at it so far this season. Jacoby Ellsbury's absence is hurting them tremendously. Should they have signed them to a megadeal like the Yankees did? The answer is less clear now than it was before the season. He is a home-grown talent, but he missed two of the past three seasons due to injury. Still, his presence as a base-stealing leadoff hitter made the entire lineup better. The 2014 Red Sox are finding out just how hard it is to replace his skill set at the top of the lineup. Without the running game, the pitcher can focus all of his attention on the hitter, making it all the easier to get him out.
4. Volatile Starting Pitching. Wouldn't Masahiro Tanaka look much nicer in a Red Sox uniform than those stupid pinstripes? With Jake Peavy, Felix Doubront and Clay Buchholz actually making me miss Ryan Dempster, the Red Sox starting rotation, aside from Jon Lester and John Lackey are a nuclear meltdown waiting to happen 3 out of 5 games. Even Lester and Lackey haven't been able to stop the bleeding during this 10 game nosedive.
5. Swiss Cheese Defense. This metaphor is actually a rather unfair one. Unfair to Swiss cheese, that is; I really like the stuff. The left side of the infield is fair game for line drives, grounders, tractor-trailers and possibly even mobile homes. In the absence of Victorino, anything out of Bradley's reach is fair game as well. Not to mention behind the plate. Bad defense makes good pitching even more difficult.
6. An F in Chemistry. With Ellsbury, Jarrod Saltalamachhia and Drew apparently went the team's inspiring chemistry that helped fuel their championship run. Drew's on his way back, but the other two aren't appearing in the home dugout at Fenway anymore. Salty's successor in particular was a head-scratching move by the front office. Two aging catchers behind the plate is just asking for trouble. Particularly when one of them comes with the reputation preceding A.J. Pierzynski. Besides making Lester look like his 2012 self, leading to David Ross starting most of the games he pitches, he just doesn't seem to fit well with this clubhouse. That and he tends to end many a rally by grounding into a double play.
7. No R.O.Y. Candidates Here. While Middlebrooks has too much service time to be called a rookie, Xander Bogaerts and Bradley are most definitely rooks. Middlebrooks is proving that his 2012 success (as one of the few bright spots from that season) was a case of sample size. Bradley is still lost at the plate against major league pitching. Only his glove keeps him from being sent back to AAA. Bogaerts is the most promising, but he has struggled too. His struggles are primarily on the defensive end and, combined with the struggles of Middlebrooks at the plate, prompted the Sox to resign Drew. Bogaerts hasn't been the dynamic force with the bat yet, but he's putting up a passable average for a rookie, despite his struggles with RISP.
8. Lineup Instability. This plagued the Sox in 2012 under Bobby V as well. Injuries have forced some changes, but John Farrell's tendency to sit two healthy starters at once is frustrating and it puts undue pressure on the rest of the lineup.
9. Cut Down to Size(more). Spring Training performances are almost always a mirage. In Spring 2013 it was Jackie Bradley, Jr. In Spring 2014 it was Grady Sizemore. Shortly after real baseball started, the clock struck midnight on Sizemore. His time away from major league competition has really started to show and he's performing below replacement level.
10. The Red Sox' Performance is Bipolar. From September 2011 through this current 10-game losing streak, the Red Sox have been an extremely all-or-nothing team. From the last month of 2011 through the entire 2012 season, their performance resembled depression. At the start of the 2013 season, the depression had shifted to mania and remained there for the entire championship run. The thrill was gone once the 2014 season began. General malaise has turned into a downward spiral that could doom their season if it continues any longer.
There you have it. One issue for every loss in this streak. Please don't make me think of a #11, Red Sox. Dig deep and find ways to win for a change.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Free Fallin'
What a difference a year makes! We could say that last season with a smile on our face, but this season we say the same thing, minus the cheerful disposition. The 2014 Red Sox have lost 7 straight, have been swept in back-to-back series, and gone winless on the homestand. Deja 2012, anyone? The clock has struck midnight and Cinderella's golden coach has pumpkined. Stephen Drew rejoining the team is a step in the right direction, but is it enough to pull them out of the quicksand?
Right now, the Red Sox are dredging up September 2011 and much of 2012 on a nightly basis. No pitching. No hitting. No fielding. The Grady Train has derailed, JBJ is looking like a highly-touted prospect gone the way of Lars Anderson and Ryan Lavarnway. Xander is none too happy about moving from shortstop to third base. Middlebrooks is Middlebroken. Buchholz is buckling under. Felix is a victim of a car door. Peavy's peripheral chickens have come to roost. Lackey's up and down like a yo-yo. Even Lester got lit up like a Christmas tree. Where's a Bobby V. Blame Pie when you need it? Oh, I forgot, the expiration date on that pie was in early October of 2012.
If they're looking to out-Astro the Astros or collect another protected draft pick, they're doing a bang-up job. However, do they really want to sandwich the World Championship season with two historically atrocious ones? Are the Red Sox that bipolar? Or do they only plan on showing up in odd-numbered years? Who knows, but if they don't right the ship soon, it's going to be a long, miserable summer for Red Sox Nation.
Right now, the Red Sox are dredging up September 2011 and much of 2012 on a nightly basis. No pitching. No hitting. No fielding. The Grady Train has derailed, JBJ is looking like a highly-touted prospect gone the way of Lars Anderson and Ryan Lavarnway. Xander is none too happy about moving from shortstop to third base. Middlebrooks is Middlebroken. Buchholz is buckling under. Felix is a victim of a car door. Peavy's peripheral chickens have come to roost. Lackey's up and down like a yo-yo. Even Lester got lit up like a Christmas tree. Where's a Bobby V. Blame Pie when you need it? Oh, I forgot, the expiration date on that pie was in early October of 2012.
If they're looking to out-Astro the Astros or collect another protected draft pick, they're doing a bang-up job. However, do they really want to sandwich the World Championship season with two historically atrocious ones? Are the Red Sox that bipolar? Or do they only plan on showing up in odd-numbered years? Who knows, but if they don't right the ship soon, it's going to be a long, miserable summer for Red Sox Nation.
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