If You Wanna Win This Ballgame...

      This song is sung to the tune of "If You're Happy And You Know It"

      If you wanna win this ballgame, score ten runs!
      If you wanna win this ballgame, score ten runs!
      'Cuz the pitching is so crappy, Red Sox Nation isn't happy
      'Cuz the only way to win is score ten runs! 

       The starting pitchers aren't up to snuff.
       The starting pitchers aren't up to snuff.
       They can't get through the sixth inning and the bullpen they are thinning
       'Cuz the starting pitchers aren't up to snuff.  

        Their winning record won't last very long
        Their winning record won't last very long.
        Their pitching will catch up to them and losses will start rolling in
        If they don't hurry up and fix what's wrong.  

        

     

It's Mookie's World...

 

Starting Off With A Bang (Or Five)

    The Red Sox offense made a big statement on Opening Day in Philly, clubbing 5 big flies off of Phillies pitching, 4 off of Red Sox offseason trade target Cole Hamels, to bash their way to an emphatic 8-0 win over the Phillies.  Clay Buchholz set the tone by pitching 7 shutout innings of 3-hit ball and the bats backed him up big-time.   Pedey and Hanley each went yard twice, with Hanley's second dinger being of the grand salami ilk.  Leadoff hitter Mookie Betts hit one out as well, and got on base at total of three times.   Pedey flashed the leather as well as the lumber, making sure anybody and everybody knew that rumors of his decline were greatly exaggerated.

     Today's opening game was the kind of best-case scenario game that characterized the 2013 Red Sox.  It's exciting and it can set the tone for great things in 2015, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.  There are 161 games to go.   However, starting out with a dominating 9-strikeout performance from a guy they are relying on heavily to front the rotation (along with Wednesday's starter Rick Porcello) is an encouraging sign.   The truest test will be how Buchholz, Porcello, and the rest of the team perform against the tougher teams in the league, but it sure is better to win against the teams you are (on paper) supposed to beat than to have them beat you.  

      An energized offense will make this season fun to watch and if the rotation and bullpen can keep the team in the game, the season will be closer to 2013 than to 2012 and 2014.   Coming into 2015 with a true leadoff hitter helps.   This was sorely lacking in 2014, save for some good stretches with Brock Holt in the first half.   Mookie is an advanced hitter for being just 22 and he's a spark plug at the top of the order.  Strengthening the middle with Hanley and Panda in the offseason let Pedey return to his natural spot as the #2 hitter.   When they return to an AL ballpark on Friday, they will have a 3-4-5-6 of Papi, Hanley, Napoli, and Panda.   Victorino, Bogaerts, and Hanigan will make for a rather strong bottom of the order.  

      Tomorrow's an off day (weird Opening Week schedule) and Wednesday, Porcello, who just signed a 4-year extension, toes the rubber against Harang.   Baseball's back!