Andrew Miller's foot has set off an unfortunate chain of events for the Red Sox while they're in their personal purgatory out west. How so? When he injured his foot in the seventh inning of Saturday night's game, the Red Sox were cruising to an easy victory against the Angels. What took place afterward, while not directly related to Miller's season-ending foot injury, included the following: blowing a 7-3 lead in the 9th inning, losing 9-7 in extras, being shut out by Jered Weaver the next night, and a 11-4 drubbing by the likes of the Seattle Mariners, or Raul Ibanez, Jason Bay, Kendrys Morales, and a bunch of guys I've never heard of. Lester, further showing he's nowhere near the ace of the Red Sox rotation, reverts to his Mr. Hyde form. All of the sudden, the Red Sox of the first half seem like a mirage and the team is proving its skeptics right.
Nothing good ever happens out west for the Red Sox. It's enough to make me wish they would only play teams east of the Mississippi. Once they get out west, they forget how to hit, especially with runners in scoring position. They forget how to pitch and blow any lead they get, and they look like the Bad News Bears. As much as I hoped this trip would be different, with the unexpected success this team has had so far this season, it has proven to be more of the same. If it's any consolation, the Yankees and the O's have been losing right along with the Red Sox, but the Rays are making some serious headway in the division and could well be in first place by the end of the road trip. Where the Red Sox end up going into the All-Star break is anyone's guess. After they stumble their way out of Seattle, they face one of the best teams in the league in the Oakland A's.
I hope I'm wrong and they turn things around starting tonight, but these damn West Coast trips put me in a bad mood. They can't get back home to Fenway fast enough!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
The Test Out West
After interleaguing it up with the Padres for two more games, the Red Sox pack up and make their first trip out to the left coast for a tour of wine country ten games against the Angels, Mariners and A's. Late night baseball for those of us back east. Oh joy! Granted, two of those teams are currently under .500, trips out west are trying for east coast teams and the Red Sox are no exception.
On paper, where no actual baseball game has ever taken place, the only series that should give them some trouble is the one against the A's. That said, the Sox should not take the Angels and Mariners for granted. A four-game series in Seattle increases the chances that they could face both Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma. Given how the Red Sox' rotation works out, they won't even get to counter one of the M's aces with John Lackey. Yes, John Lackey is the Red Sox ace in the [rather prolonged] absence of Clay Buchholz. He followed up his 12 strikeout performance with 8 innings of 1-run ball tonight to lead the Sox to a 4-1 win over the Padres and lowered his season ERA to 2.81.
How the Red Sox fare out west figures to be a significant storyline in the second half, given that there will be three trips out there between now and the end of the season, if you count a brief stop in Colorado before the season finale in Baltimore. A trip to San Francisco and L.A. in late August to face the Giants and Dodgers is sandwiched between home series against the Yankees and O's. Their road record, while it has taken a hit with recent series losses in Detroit and Baltimore, is still over .500. If they can hold their own and at least go over .500 on the west coast roadies, they'll be in good shape. If they lose their bats in transit, however, they could open the door to the rest of the division.
On paper, where no actual baseball game has ever taken place, the only series that should give them some trouble is the one against the A's. That said, the Sox should not take the Angels and Mariners for granted. A four-game series in Seattle increases the chances that they could face both Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma. Given how the Red Sox' rotation works out, they won't even get to counter one of the M's aces with John Lackey. Yes, John Lackey is the Red Sox ace in the [rather prolonged] absence of Clay Buchholz. He followed up his 12 strikeout performance with 8 innings of 1-run ball tonight to lead the Sox to a 4-1 win over the Padres and lowered his season ERA to 2.81.
How the Red Sox fare out west figures to be a significant storyline in the second half, given that there will be three trips out there between now and the end of the season, if you count a brief stop in Colorado before the season finale in Baltimore. A trip to San Francisco and L.A. in late August to face the Giants and Dodgers is sandwiched between home series against the Yankees and O's. Their road record, while it has taken a hit with recent series losses in Detroit and Baltimore, is still over .500. If they can hold their own and at least go over .500 on the west coast roadies, they'll be in good shape. If they lose their bats in transit, however, they could open the door to the rest of the division.
Monday, July 1, 2013
Midseason Grades: Red Sox on the Honor Roll?
After seeing the Red Sox on a steady, then steep decline for five years following their 2007 World Championship season, watching the 2013 season unfold is both refreshing and surprising. After all, when the ownership and front office made that landmark "plunger deal" last August, getting rid of some bad contracts and clubhouse toxins seemed to pave the way for a multi-year rebuild. There was a lot of rubble to clear away from the slow-motion disaster that was the 2012 Red Sox, or so it seemed. No one expected them to contend this year, much less be in first place and be one of only two teams with 50 games heading into July. The other one, by the way, is the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have plundered and pillaged their way to the best record in baseball. Cinderella's sporting a peg leg and eye patch this year.
Without any further jibberjabber, let's hand out those report cards:
Starting Lineup
Catcher: Jarrod Saltalamacchia B+ Salty has really stepped up as the season has progressed. With David Ross down for the count with concussion symptoms, a larger portion of the catching duties than anticipated has fallen to him and he has risen to the occasion. He's still pretty much a certain K when he has an 0-2 count, but he's raised his batting average to .262 with a .328 OBP. He's improved his skills behind the plate also, looking as if he took some baserunner throwing-out lessons from teammate David Ross. The Sox must be careful not to wear him down, however, as they can ill afford to see him fall off a cliff down the stretch.
First Base: Mike Napoli B Napoli was an RBI machine in April and May, but he has tailed off quite a bit in June. His lack of power at Fenway is particularly perplexing, seeing how he launched balls over the monster on a regular basis when he visited the Fens as an opposing player. The fact that he hit only one home run in June is also a little concerning, seeing that he's a middle-of-the-order bat who is relied upon to provide power and protection for Big Papi. Still, he has played better than expected at first base and he has (knock on wood) stayed healthy. He can bring that grade up in the second half by finding his Fenway power stroke (and his power stroke in general) and cut down a little on the strikeouts.
Second Base: Dustin Pedroia A Pedey has been Vintage Pedey this season, playing much like, or possibly better than, his 2008 MVP campaign. He's hitting .322 and playing gold-glove defense--essentially being what we have come to expect him to be. Last year saw him fighting though various
injuries, but this year, you would never know that he's been playing with a torn UCL in his thumb. Pedey being Pedey is a big part of where the Red Sox are right now.
Shortstop: Stephen Drew B- Stephen Drew came to Boston with some unfair baggage, sharing DNA with a guy who got a lot of unwarranted flak for his style of playing in J.D. Drew. He was brought on because the Front Office didn't feel like they could rely on Jose Iglesias to put up acceptable offensive numbers to stay on the major league roster. To be fair, Iggy was pretty abysmal down the stretch in 2012 and having a guy like Bobby V for a manager didn't help. Drew has come in and played solidly, though not spectacularly at shortstop while hitting an underwhelming .233. He's a streaky hitter who got a slow start to the season after missing much of spring training with a concussion. With the emergence of Iggy and the exciting Xander Bogaerts waiting in the wings in Pawtucket, Drew could be dealt at the deadline.
Third Base: Jose Iglesias A Who knew Iggy could hit? While he's certainly not going to keep hitting an absurd .409 through 132 at-bats (There was only one Ted Williams, ladies and gentlemen. There's a reason his .406 season average is a record that has lasted for more than 70 years), he has clearly improved his approach at the plate during the offseason. Even if many of his hits are of the infield variety, his ability to burst out of the batter's box quickly and hustle down the line to first base deserves some credit. The defense, simply put, is phenomenal. He plays his new position like he's been playing there his whole career. The biggest question is how much regression will he encounter in the second half? Will he finish the season hitting over .300? .270? He's not a prototypical corner infielder from a power perspective, so a return to short is likely once either Middlebrooks solves his hitting woes at AAA or Xander Bogaerts proves himself ready to be the Red Sox' answer to the Orioles' Manny Machado.
Third Base: Will Middlebrooks D Having burst onto the scene last season and raked, to the point of sending Kevin Youkilis out of town, Middlebrooks had his season ended by a broken wrist, resulting from being hit by a pitch. 2013 has not been kind to him so far. He simply could not respond to the adjustments pitchers made to him based on the scouting reports. After looking lost at the plate for two and a half months, the young third baseman is back in Pawtucket, trying to recapture what made his 2012 campaign so thrilling. With Xander Bogaerts, who may be a shortstop now, but could be converted to a third baseman, in the rearview mirror, the Red Sox have options if Middlebrooks struggles in AAA.
Left Field: Daniel Nava A We all know Nava's story by now. He has earned his role as the starting left fielder for the 2013 Red Sox and he has filled in satisfactorily in right field whenever an outfield wall takes Victorino out for a few days. He is the only player besides Big Papi to have hit double digits in home runs so far this season. He's made a case, at least with Red Sox Nation, to be a write-in candidate for the All-Star Game. That said, the Red Sox need him to keep this up in the second half, something he has struggled with in past seasons.
Center Field: Jacoby Ellsbury B+ Like Salty, Ells started the season off slowly, but has picked it up in May and June. While he does not have the home run power he had in 2011 (only one so far this season), he's back to stealing bases like it was 2009. His defense is in line with his career norms, his throwing arm being his only major weakness. The Red Sox will have an interesting decision to make this coming off-season.
Right Field: Shane Victorino A- The Flyin' Hawaiian has been a bit crash-prone in the outfield, but when he's on the field and healthy, he's been great. He's hitting .291 with a .341 OBP. He's not a home run hitter, but he, along with Ells, are good table-setters for Pedey and Papi. His D is excellent and has made many a starting pitcher sigh with relief.
Designated Hitter: David Ortiz A Big Papi is once again the biggest power threat in the Red Sox lineup and at 37 and coming off an Achilles injury that ended his 2012 season (and any shred of hope the 2012 team had of contending), the big guy's hitting .317 with 16 HR and 57 RBI. Keeping him healthy will be key to the Sox keeping up the pace in the second half. They need his power bat in a lineup that is rather light on power overall. There are no Chris Davises, Jose Bautistas, Edwin Encarnacions, Miguel Cabreras, or Prince Fielders in this lineup. With Napoli's recent power outage, Papi's intentional walk rates are on the rise.
Starting Rotation
Clay Buchholz A- The minus is only there because he's having trouble staying on the field. When he's healthy, he's been absolutely lights-out vintage-Pedro Martinez-esque. The Red Sox owe their blazing April to Buchholz's dominating, right alongside his teammate Jon Lester. He has a 1.71 ERA, along with a 9-0 record. His starts early this season were about as sure a win as you could get. How active the Red Sox are on the starting pitching market at the trade deadline depends on when Buch can return to the mound. If his injury lingers on much longer, the team may be forced to fork over some money and prospects for, at the very least, Matt Garza, if not Cliff Lee. Xander Bogaerts, however, must be absolutely off limits.
John Lackey A- One of the most pleasant surprises this season so far has been the redemption, at least on the mound, of John Lackey. Lackey is coming off Tommy John surgery, which kept him out of the picture in 2012. He pitched through a disintegrating elbow in 2011 and, to some extent, in 2010 as well, and his numbers showed just how bad a shape that elbow was in. While rehabbing the repaired elbow, Lackey got the rest of his body in shape as well, shedding some excess weight and, as a result, some excess ERA. Due to inconsistent run support, his 5-5 record is less of an indication of how he has pitched this year than his ERA, which is at 2.99. He's helped anchor the rotation in the absence of Buchholz.
Jon Lester C+ When Lester started out the season going 6-0 with a 2.72 ERA, it looked like the 2012 shell of Jon Lester was history and he had return to the form that made him one of the best pitchers in the league. Then, in late May and into June, the Pod Lester we thought had been kicked to the curb had found his way back to the mound, to the frustration and bewilderment of us all. Which one is the real Jon Lester? He showed some signs of improvement in his last start against the Blue Jays and the Sox hope he has started to right the ship. A healthy and dominating Buchholz, Lester, and Lackey would go a long way toward seizing that division title and the first playoff berth in four years.
Ryan Dempster B Dempster was not signed to be the ace of the staff. He was signed to do exactly what he has done in the first half: stabilize the back end of the rotation and keep his team in the game. He went though a rough stretch in early May, but other than that, he's proving to be a smart move by the Front Office.
Felix Doubront B- Doubront's rotation spot was in danger early in the season, when he showed up to spring training out of shape and struggled with the same problems that plagued him last year: inefficiency, gopher balls, walks, and earning the nickname (from yours truly) of "Five-Inning Felix". Since then, he's stepped up his game, including throwing an eight-inning gem against the Rays at Fenway. He still needs a little work on efficiency, but he's taking steps in the right direction.
Allen Webster C- Webster was a part of the Great 2012 Bailout as one of the prospects the Red Sox got in return for Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, and Nick Punto. He made his major league debut in April against the Royals and, while that outing was impressive, he struggled mightily in the two subsequent outings: one against the Twins and one against the Tigers. He fared better against the Blue Jays and will remain in the rotation for the time being, until Buchholz returns. He has some great stuff, but has some rookie growing pains to go through in order to, hopefully, reach his potential.
Alfredo Aceves B He may be the lone resident of Planet Aceves (which may or may not be too far in the universe from Planet Manny), but he's been a surprisingly good spot starter, riding the shuttle from Pawtucket to Boston. Perhaps the climate in Pawtucket more closely resembles his home planet, or perhaps the Tampa Bay Rays and their crazy dome speak to him in ways no one can pretend to understand, as he dominated them in both of his spot starts against them. All kidding aside, Aceves has shown he can be counted on in spot starts and he's downright decent in small doses.
The Bullpen: B-
The Red Sox bullpen has had their ups and downs and the Closer Carousel has made them somewhat dizzy of late. However, Ben Buchanan of Over the Monster did an excellent analysis of how the Boston 'pen stacks up against the rest of the Cardiac League. It turns out, despite the closer crisis, the Red Sox could do a lot worse than how they've done so far.
Junichi Tazawa: B+ Mostly reliable, but showing signs of overwork.
Andrew Miller: B+ When he's not crossing over to the wild side, he can show closer-like dominance. The walk potential, however, keeps him behind the likes of Koji Uehara for close games in the 9th.
Andrew Bailey: C- He's been atrocious of late, so the C- might sound a little generous, but before his most recent DL stint, he made a pretty convincing closer. Facing the Rays in his personal house of horrors, The Trop, sent him on a bizarre tailspin of gopher ball madness. Or maybe he wasn't as ready to return from the DL as the Red Sox thought.
Alex Wilson: B He's a solid middle-relief option who can go multiple innings.
Craig Breslow: B He's had some hiccups since returning from the DL stint that began his season, but he's reliable for the most part.
Clayton Mortensen: D Mortensen is in DFA limbo after briefly being activated from the DL. Ineffectiveness had reduced Morty to mop-up role and last-resort multi-inning reliever when games went into extra innings. Simply put, there were too many better options and Morty became the odd man out.
Koji Uehara: A- Koji has stepped in and provided, at least for the time being, a solution to the closer crisis, avoiding the need for an unfortunate reality show called "Who Wants to Be The Red Sox Closer". His personality suits the job and, although he's vulnerable to the occasional long ball and wearing down from overuse, those high-fives are part of what has made this team so much fun to watch
The Bench: B+
Bench depth has helped launch the Red Sox to 50 wins through the first three months of the season.
Mike Carp (1B, OF): B+ Carp has been a steal for the Red Sox, who picked him up this spring after the Mariners jettisoned him. He's got some pop in the bat and while he's no great glove, he's a great player to give starters days off or to pinch hit late in games.
Jonny Gomes (OF): B- It's a high grade for a rather low batting average, but Gomes has lifted this team both on the field in late-inning dramatics and off in his clubhouse presence.
David Ross (C): C+ Before the concussion(s), Ross was solid behind the plate, especially in throwing out base runners and handling the pitching staff, but very inconsistent in the batter's box. Now, he's pretty much a non-factor after landing on the 60-day DL.
Pedro Ciriaco (2B, SS, 3B): D He was a spark plug in 2012 on an otherwise dismal team, but he didn't find the same success this year and has since been shipped to the Padres.
Ryan Lavarnway, Brandon Snyder, Jonathan Diaz: Incomplete
The Manager: A
If the season were to end today, John Farrell would be a candidate for Manager of the Year for taking the Red Sox from worst to first in the toughest division in baseball. He's a world of improvement over last year's ringmaster of the Cirque du Poor Play. I may disagree with his use of Andrew Bailey in close games or running into so many outs on the bases, but overall, he's one of the chief contributors to Extreme Makeover: Red Sox Edition.
The Front Office: A
As with John Farrell, it's hard not to give Ben Cherington and company an A for the moves that have led to the Red Sox having the best record in the American League (and third best in baseball). What happens in the second half remains to be seen (2011 wasn't that long ago!), but the wholesale disinfection of the clubhouse has paid huge dividends in the team's resilience after particularly painful losses and the ability to come back from deficits late in games.
The Team: A
51-34. First place in the AL East. Third best record in baseball. 'Nuff said.
Without any further jibberjabber, let's hand out those report cards:
Starting Lineup
Catcher: Jarrod Saltalamacchia B+ Salty has really stepped up as the season has progressed. With David Ross down for the count with concussion symptoms, a larger portion of the catching duties than anticipated has fallen to him and he has risen to the occasion. He's still pretty much a certain K when he has an 0-2 count, but he's raised his batting average to .262 with a .328 OBP. He's improved his skills behind the plate also, looking as if he took some baserunner throwing-out lessons from teammate David Ross. The Sox must be careful not to wear him down, however, as they can ill afford to see him fall off a cliff down the stretch.
First Base: Mike Napoli B Napoli was an RBI machine in April and May, but he has tailed off quite a bit in June. His lack of power at Fenway is particularly perplexing, seeing how he launched balls over the monster on a regular basis when he visited the Fens as an opposing player. The fact that he hit only one home run in June is also a little concerning, seeing that he's a middle-of-the-order bat who is relied upon to provide power and protection for Big Papi. Still, he has played better than expected at first base and he has (knock on wood) stayed healthy. He can bring that grade up in the second half by finding his Fenway power stroke (and his power stroke in general) and cut down a little on the strikeouts.
Second Base: Dustin Pedroia A Pedey has been Vintage Pedey this season, playing much like, or possibly better than, his 2008 MVP campaign. He's hitting .322 and playing gold-glove defense--essentially being what we have come to expect him to be. Last year saw him fighting though various
injuries, but this year, you would never know that he's been playing with a torn UCL in his thumb. Pedey being Pedey is a big part of where the Red Sox are right now.
Shortstop: Stephen Drew B- Stephen Drew came to Boston with some unfair baggage, sharing DNA with a guy who got a lot of unwarranted flak for his style of playing in J.D. Drew. He was brought on because the Front Office didn't feel like they could rely on Jose Iglesias to put up acceptable offensive numbers to stay on the major league roster. To be fair, Iggy was pretty abysmal down the stretch in 2012 and having a guy like Bobby V for a manager didn't help. Drew has come in and played solidly, though not spectacularly at shortstop while hitting an underwhelming .233. He's a streaky hitter who got a slow start to the season after missing much of spring training with a concussion. With the emergence of Iggy and the exciting Xander Bogaerts waiting in the wings in Pawtucket, Drew could be dealt at the deadline.
Third Base: Jose Iglesias A Who knew Iggy could hit? While he's certainly not going to keep hitting an absurd .409 through 132 at-bats (There was only one Ted Williams, ladies and gentlemen. There's a reason his .406 season average is a record that has lasted for more than 70 years), he has clearly improved his approach at the plate during the offseason. Even if many of his hits are of the infield variety, his ability to burst out of the batter's box quickly and hustle down the line to first base deserves some credit. The defense, simply put, is phenomenal. He plays his new position like he's been playing there his whole career. The biggest question is how much regression will he encounter in the second half? Will he finish the season hitting over .300? .270? He's not a prototypical corner infielder from a power perspective, so a return to short is likely once either Middlebrooks solves his hitting woes at AAA or Xander Bogaerts proves himself ready to be the Red Sox' answer to the Orioles' Manny Machado.
Third Base: Will Middlebrooks D Having burst onto the scene last season and raked, to the point of sending Kevin Youkilis out of town, Middlebrooks had his season ended by a broken wrist, resulting from being hit by a pitch. 2013 has not been kind to him so far. He simply could not respond to the adjustments pitchers made to him based on the scouting reports. After looking lost at the plate for two and a half months, the young third baseman is back in Pawtucket, trying to recapture what made his 2012 campaign so thrilling. With Xander Bogaerts, who may be a shortstop now, but could be converted to a third baseman, in the rearview mirror, the Red Sox have options if Middlebrooks struggles in AAA.
Left Field: Daniel Nava A We all know Nava's story by now. He has earned his role as the starting left fielder for the 2013 Red Sox and he has filled in satisfactorily in right field whenever an outfield wall takes Victorino out for a few days. He is the only player besides Big Papi to have hit double digits in home runs so far this season. He's made a case, at least with Red Sox Nation, to be a write-in candidate for the All-Star Game. That said, the Red Sox need him to keep this up in the second half, something he has struggled with in past seasons.
Center Field: Jacoby Ellsbury B+ Like Salty, Ells started the season off slowly, but has picked it up in May and June. While he does not have the home run power he had in 2011 (only one so far this season), he's back to stealing bases like it was 2009. His defense is in line with his career norms, his throwing arm being his only major weakness. The Red Sox will have an interesting decision to make this coming off-season.
Right Field: Shane Victorino A- The Flyin' Hawaiian has been a bit crash-prone in the outfield, but when he's on the field and healthy, he's been great. He's hitting .291 with a .341 OBP. He's not a home run hitter, but he, along with Ells, are good table-setters for Pedey and Papi. His D is excellent and has made many a starting pitcher sigh with relief.
Designated Hitter: David Ortiz A Big Papi is once again the biggest power threat in the Red Sox lineup and at 37 and coming off an Achilles injury that ended his 2012 season (and any shred of hope the 2012 team had of contending), the big guy's hitting .317 with 16 HR and 57 RBI. Keeping him healthy will be key to the Sox keeping up the pace in the second half. They need his power bat in a lineup that is rather light on power overall. There are no Chris Davises, Jose Bautistas, Edwin Encarnacions, Miguel Cabreras, or Prince Fielders in this lineup. With Napoli's recent power outage, Papi's intentional walk rates are on the rise.
Starting Rotation
Clay Buchholz A- The minus is only there because he's having trouble staying on the field. When he's healthy, he's been absolutely lights-out vintage-Pedro Martinez-esque. The Red Sox owe their blazing April to Buchholz's dominating, right alongside his teammate Jon Lester. He has a 1.71 ERA, along with a 9-0 record. His starts early this season were about as sure a win as you could get. How active the Red Sox are on the starting pitching market at the trade deadline depends on when Buch can return to the mound. If his injury lingers on much longer, the team may be forced to fork over some money and prospects for, at the very least, Matt Garza, if not Cliff Lee. Xander Bogaerts, however, must be absolutely off limits.
John Lackey A- One of the most pleasant surprises this season so far has been the redemption, at least on the mound, of John Lackey. Lackey is coming off Tommy John surgery, which kept him out of the picture in 2012. He pitched through a disintegrating elbow in 2011 and, to some extent, in 2010 as well, and his numbers showed just how bad a shape that elbow was in. While rehabbing the repaired elbow, Lackey got the rest of his body in shape as well, shedding some excess weight and, as a result, some excess ERA. Due to inconsistent run support, his 5-5 record is less of an indication of how he has pitched this year than his ERA, which is at 2.99. He's helped anchor the rotation in the absence of Buchholz.
Jon Lester C+ When Lester started out the season going 6-0 with a 2.72 ERA, it looked like the 2012 shell of Jon Lester was history and he had return to the form that made him one of the best pitchers in the league. Then, in late May and into June, the Pod Lester we thought had been kicked to the curb had found his way back to the mound, to the frustration and bewilderment of us all. Which one is the real Jon Lester? He showed some signs of improvement in his last start against the Blue Jays and the Sox hope he has started to right the ship. A healthy and dominating Buchholz, Lester, and Lackey would go a long way toward seizing that division title and the first playoff berth in four years.
Ryan Dempster B Dempster was not signed to be the ace of the staff. He was signed to do exactly what he has done in the first half: stabilize the back end of the rotation and keep his team in the game. He went though a rough stretch in early May, but other than that, he's proving to be a smart move by the Front Office.
Felix Doubront B- Doubront's rotation spot was in danger early in the season, when he showed up to spring training out of shape and struggled with the same problems that plagued him last year: inefficiency, gopher balls, walks, and earning the nickname (from yours truly) of "Five-Inning Felix". Since then, he's stepped up his game, including throwing an eight-inning gem against the Rays at Fenway. He still needs a little work on efficiency, but he's taking steps in the right direction.
Allen Webster C- Webster was a part of the Great 2012 Bailout as one of the prospects the Red Sox got in return for Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, and Nick Punto. He made his major league debut in April against the Royals and, while that outing was impressive, he struggled mightily in the two subsequent outings: one against the Twins and one against the Tigers. He fared better against the Blue Jays and will remain in the rotation for the time being, until Buchholz returns. He has some great stuff, but has some rookie growing pains to go through in order to, hopefully, reach his potential.
Alfredo Aceves B He may be the lone resident of Planet Aceves (which may or may not be too far in the universe from Planet Manny), but he's been a surprisingly good spot starter, riding the shuttle from Pawtucket to Boston. Perhaps the climate in Pawtucket more closely resembles his home planet, or perhaps the Tampa Bay Rays and their crazy dome speak to him in ways no one can pretend to understand, as he dominated them in both of his spot starts against them. All kidding aside, Aceves has shown he can be counted on in spot starts and he's downright decent in small doses.
The Bullpen: B-
The Red Sox bullpen has had their ups and downs and the Closer Carousel has made them somewhat dizzy of late. However, Ben Buchanan of Over the Monster did an excellent analysis of how the Boston 'pen stacks up against the rest of the Cardiac League. It turns out, despite the closer crisis, the Red Sox could do a lot worse than how they've done so far.
Junichi Tazawa: B+ Mostly reliable, but showing signs of overwork.
Andrew Miller: B+ When he's not crossing over to the wild side, he can show closer-like dominance. The walk potential, however, keeps him behind the likes of Koji Uehara for close games in the 9th.
Andrew Bailey: C- He's been atrocious of late, so the C- might sound a little generous, but before his most recent DL stint, he made a pretty convincing closer. Facing the Rays in his personal house of horrors, The Trop, sent him on a bizarre tailspin of gopher ball madness. Or maybe he wasn't as ready to return from the DL as the Red Sox thought.
Alex Wilson: B He's a solid middle-relief option who can go multiple innings.
Craig Breslow: B He's had some hiccups since returning from the DL stint that began his season, but he's reliable for the most part.
Clayton Mortensen: D Mortensen is in DFA limbo after briefly being activated from the DL. Ineffectiveness had reduced Morty to mop-up role and last-resort multi-inning reliever when games went into extra innings. Simply put, there were too many better options and Morty became the odd man out.
Koji Uehara: A- Koji has stepped in and provided, at least for the time being, a solution to the closer crisis, avoiding the need for an unfortunate reality show called "Who Wants to Be The Red Sox Closer". His personality suits the job and, although he's vulnerable to the occasional long ball and wearing down from overuse, those high-fives are part of what has made this team so much fun to watch
The Bench: B+
Bench depth has helped launch the Red Sox to 50 wins through the first three months of the season.
Mike Carp (1B, OF): B+ Carp has been a steal for the Red Sox, who picked him up this spring after the Mariners jettisoned him. He's got some pop in the bat and while he's no great glove, he's a great player to give starters days off or to pinch hit late in games.
Jonny Gomes (OF): B- It's a high grade for a rather low batting average, but Gomes has lifted this team both on the field in late-inning dramatics and off in his clubhouse presence.
David Ross (C): C+ Before the concussion(s), Ross was solid behind the plate, especially in throwing out base runners and handling the pitching staff, but very inconsistent in the batter's box. Now, he's pretty much a non-factor after landing on the 60-day DL.
Pedro Ciriaco (2B, SS, 3B): D He was a spark plug in 2012 on an otherwise dismal team, but he didn't find the same success this year and has since been shipped to the Padres.
Ryan Lavarnway, Brandon Snyder, Jonathan Diaz: Incomplete
The Manager: A
If the season were to end today, John Farrell would be a candidate for Manager of the Year for taking the Red Sox from worst to first in the toughest division in baseball. He's a world of improvement over last year's ringmaster of the Cirque du Poor Play. I may disagree with his use of Andrew Bailey in close games or running into so many outs on the bases, but overall, he's one of the chief contributors to Extreme Makeover: Red Sox Edition.
The Front Office: A
As with John Farrell, it's hard not to give Ben Cherington and company an A for the moves that have led to the Red Sox having the best record in the American League (and third best in baseball). What happens in the second half remains to be seen (2011 wasn't that long ago!), but the wholesale disinfection of the clubhouse has paid huge dividends in the team's resilience after particularly painful losses and the ability to come back from deficits late in games.
The Team: A
51-34. First place in the AL East. Third best record in baseball. 'Nuff said.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Red Sox Reality Check
Ah, the reality check! To the rose-colored glasses lot, it's a wet blanket often confused with pessimism. After all, the Red Sox do possess the best record in the American League. Therefore, they must be clicking on all cylinders and cruising right into a playoff spot, right? Not so fast. It's still June and we haven't yet reached the All-Star break. Even if this were late August, however, recent memory, as much as we want to expunge it from our collective consciousness, reminds us that they have to show up for all six months of the regular season in order to secure a postseason berth.
So what's going right with the Red Sox? What has gotten them to this point?
1. Depth, particularly from the bench. With the addition of Jose Iglesias to the 25-man roster, the Red Sox have a deep bench full of guys who can keep the team afloat in the face of injuries. Gomes, Nava and Carp give them plenty of options in the outfield and, for the latter two, first base. Iglesias has made it hard for John Farrell to keep him riding pine, swinging the bat at an improbably good clip while Drew and Middlebrooks continue to struggle to stay over the Mendoza line. As a utility guy, Iggy's a major upgrade over Pedro Ciriaco, who was recently shipped off to the Padres.
2. Depth in the minors. Alfredo "Ace/Crazy Man" Aceves has gradually worked his way back into the good graces of Red Sox Nation by contributing quality starts when he is called upon to replace the frustratingly injured Clay Buchholz. Bullpen arms Alex Wilson and Jose De La Torre have helped out when short starts and extra innings stretch the 'pen out like silly putty. Rubby De La Rosa and Allen Webster are promising young arms to help out the starting rotation. Top prospect Xander Bogaerts is waiting in the wings should Middlebrooks continue to hit like a blind squirrel.
3. Improved starting pitching. The road has been rockier in the rotation of late, but the Sox are still sporting a much better rotation than the were last year at this time. Dempster and Lackey have, for the most part, kept the team in the game and Doubront has been making big strides in the absence of Buchholz and an effective Lester. Aceves has made the case for more spot starts, especially against the Tampa Bay Rays.
4. Pedey, Papi, and Nava (with a side order of Iggy and Ells). Papi has not skipped a beat since his return from the achilles injury that cost him most of the second half of 2012 and the first few weeks of 2013. Pedey, despite a recent slump, has put up a typical Pedey season to date, batting over .300 and gold-gloving it in the field. Nava has turned into a legit major leaguer, leading AL outfielders in on-base percentage and hitting the double digits in home runs. Ellsbury started slow, but has heated up of late and Iglesias, while his batting average is not sustainable over the long haul, has improved his plate approach and picked up a new position with no problems whatsover.
5. Stability in the clubhouse. Having John Farrell over Bobby Valentine as manager goes a long way toward improving the clubhouse culture. The players, coaches, and front office are on the same page and that leads to much better results than division, drama, and general chaos. Adding "clubhouse guys" like Jonny Gomes, Ryan Dempster, and Shane Victorino has also helped in that department.
6. More Salt, please. Jarrod Saltalamacchia has picked it up this past month, both at the plate and behind it. He has improved his game-calling skills and has even been able to become somewhat of an "Aceves whisperer". He's brought his average up to more respectable .263 and has even started throwing out baserunners with more regularity. With David Ross dealing with lingering concussion symptoms, it's been all the more important to have Salty step up.
Now for the not-so-good news. As the Red Sox face the Tigers, Orioles, Rangers, A's, and other top teams in the league, their weaknesses become more apparent, despite owning a better season record than any of those teams.
1. It's lonely at the top. Clay Buchholz has been a dominant pitcher and looks like he can go toe-to-toe with the best hurlers in the game. When he's on the mound, that is. For all his talent and outstanding results, it's hard to call a pitcher who can't seem to stay healthy an ace. With Jon Lester falling back into his exasperating 2012 ways and the rest of the rotation #3s at best, the team now lacks a true stopper--a pitcher that other teams dread facing. Relying on a fresh-off-Tommy John surgery John Lackey to be the #1 is unfair, as is relying on a league-average guy like Dempster or a young, still developing Doubront. Perhaps relying on Lester is a bit unfair as well, if his velocity has dipped and he's having to adjust to being a pitcher rather than a thrower. In order to play with the big boys in the league come September and October, the Red Sox are going to need to have someone in that stopper role. Either Buchholz gets and stays healthy and dominant or they're going to have to bite the bullet and make a big trade if they plan on making a playoff run this year.
2. Is This The Real Will Middlebrooks? Last year, before a broken wrist derailed a promising season, Will Middlebrooks emerged as a force in the lineup and a bright spot in an otherwise miserable year. His performance led the Red Sox to jettison Kevin Youkilis (who continues to struggle with injuries and whose days as an MLB player look to be numbered). This year, however, Middlebrooks looks thoroughly overmatched and his batting average has hovered around .200. He has 9 home runs, so the power is there, but the outs are coming with far too much frequency for a position that is relied upon for offense. When he went on the DL last month, I was, quite frankly, surprised to see him get so few minor-league rehab starts, especially with his replacement at 3B, Iggy, hitting like a house on fire. His plate approach is all screwed up and he could use some time in Pawtucket to get squared away. Surely a player as young as he has options remaining. If Xander tears though AAA pitching and Middlebrooks keeps being a near-automatic out, the X-man deserves a shot.
3. Too many walks. This pitching staff has a big problem with handing out free passes. In fact, they lead all of baseball in walks allowed. Few things are more frustrating than watching a Red Sox pitcher issue a free pass and then having that baserunner end up scoring. Make the hitters EARN their way on base. Walks make pitchers work from the stretch, create unnecessary baserunners, and, if they are threats to steal, further distract the pitcher. If they aren't making a difference in the win-loss record so far, they will over the course of a full season. I don't know if it is a penchant for collecting pitchers with command issues or an organizational philosophy that favors nibbling, but the Red Sox have a walk problem and that needs to be fixed. It costs starters pitches, keeping them from going deeper into games, and it makes things all the more dicey later in the game, when there are fewer chances to recovery.
4. Leaky 'pen. How many starters have been robbed of wins this season because the bullpen couldn't hold the lead. Soon-to-be-ex-closer Andrew Bailey has screwed both Doubront and Lackey out of well-deserved wins just his week. The jobbing of Lackey's win also cost the team a win in a series that looks like a tough one to split, let alone win. Short outings by starters (too many walks comes into play here) leads to overexposed relievers, which leads to wholesale bullpen burnout before too long. The team lacks a bona fide closer with Bailey serving up a nightly special of meatballs, Uehara an overuse risk, and Tazawa comes across as a bit timid to be put into that situation. At this point, the best option might be Andrew Miller, providing he keeps throwing strikes and getting swings and misses. Miller is prone to wildness, however, so even he is a considerable risk with a one-run lead in the ninth.
5. What of the O's woes? It was not so long ago that the situation was reversed, with the Red Sox dominating the O's to the point where they took 16 of 18 games from them in 2009. Since late 2011 and the so-called "Curse of the Andino" (Not my term. I found it on the Red Sox blogosphere), the tables have been turned and the O's have become the Red Sox' daddy. The O's are a division rival and now stand just a half-game behind them, so it would behoove the Red Sox to find a way to beat the Baltimore birdies or at least hold their own against them. They have made some headway against the Rangers, at least in the last series where Texas paid mightily for walking Pedey to face Papi. However, they face the O's a lot more often than they do the Rangers, so they need to get their act together against Baltimore or they will soon be looking up at them, and possibly a few other teams, in the standings.
So what's going right with the Red Sox? What has gotten them to this point?
1. Depth, particularly from the bench. With the addition of Jose Iglesias to the 25-man roster, the Red Sox have a deep bench full of guys who can keep the team afloat in the face of injuries. Gomes, Nava and Carp give them plenty of options in the outfield and, for the latter two, first base. Iglesias has made it hard for John Farrell to keep him riding pine, swinging the bat at an improbably good clip while Drew and Middlebrooks continue to struggle to stay over the Mendoza line. As a utility guy, Iggy's a major upgrade over Pedro Ciriaco, who was recently shipped off to the Padres.
2. Depth in the minors. Alfredo "Ace/Crazy Man" Aceves has gradually worked his way back into the good graces of Red Sox Nation by contributing quality starts when he is called upon to replace the frustratingly injured Clay Buchholz. Bullpen arms Alex Wilson and Jose De La Torre have helped out when short starts and extra innings stretch the 'pen out like silly putty. Rubby De La Rosa and Allen Webster are promising young arms to help out the starting rotation. Top prospect Xander Bogaerts is waiting in the wings should Middlebrooks continue to hit like a blind squirrel.
3. Improved starting pitching. The road has been rockier in the rotation of late, but the Sox are still sporting a much better rotation than the were last year at this time. Dempster and Lackey have, for the most part, kept the team in the game and Doubront has been making big strides in the absence of Buchholz and an effective Lester. Aceves has made the case for more spot starts, especially against the Tampa Bay Rays.
4. Pedey, Papi, and Nava (with a side order of Iggy and Ells). Papi has not skipped a beat since his return from the achilles injury that cost him most of the second half of 2012 and the first few weeks of 2013. Pedey, despite a recent slump, has put up a typical Pedey season to date, batting over .300 and gold-gloving it in the field. Nava has turned into a legit major leaguer, leading AL outfielders in on-base percentage and hitting the double digits in home runs. Ellsbury started slow, but has heated up of late and Iglesias, while his batting average is not sustainable over the long haul, has improved his plate approach and picked up a new position with no problems whatsover.
5. Stability in the clubhouse. Having John Farrell over Bobby Valentine as manager goes a long way toward improving the clubhouse culture. The players, coaches, and front office are on the same page and that leads to much better results than division, drama, and general chaos. Adding "clubhouse guys" like Jonny Gomes, Ryan Dempster, and Shane Victorino has also helped in that department.
6. More Salt, please. Jarrod Saltalamacchia has picked it up this past month, both at the plate and behind it. He has improved his game-calling skills and has even been able to become somewhat of an "Aceves whisperer". He's brought his average up to more respectable .263 and has even started throwing out baserunners with more regularity. With David Ross dealing with lingering concussion symptoms, it's been all the more important to have Salty step up.
Now for the not-so-good news. As the Red Sox face the Tigers, Orioles, Rangers, A's, and other top teams in the league, their weaknesses become more apparent, despite owning a better season record than any of those teams.
1. It's lonely at the top. Clay Buchholz has been a dominant pitcher and looks like he can go toe-to-toe with the best hurlers in the game. When he's on the mound, that is. For all his talent and outstanding results, it's hard to call a pitcher who can't seem to stay healthy an ace. With Jon Lester falling back into his exasperating 2012 ways and the rest of the rotation #3s at best, the team now lacks a true stopper--a pitcher that other teams dread facing. Relying on a fresh-off-Tommy John surgery John Lackey to be the #1 is unfair, as is relying on a league-average guy like Dempster or a young, still developing Doubront. Perhaps relying on Lester is a bit unfair as well, if his velocity has dipped and he's having to adjust to being a pitcher rather than a thrower. In order to play with the big boys in the league come September and October, the Red Sox are going to need to have someone in that stopper role. Either Buchholz gets and stays healthy and dominant or they're going to have to bite the bullet and make a big trade if they plan on making a playoff run this year.
2. Is This The Real Will Middlebrooks? Last year, before a broken wrist derailed a promising season, Will Middlebrooks emerged as a force in the lineup and a bright spot in an otherwise miserable year. His performance led the Red Sox to jettison Kevin Youkilis (who continues to struggle with injuries and whose days as an MLB player look to be numbered). This year, however, Middlebrooks looks thoroughly overmatched and his batting average has hovered around .200. He has 9 home runs, so the power is there, but the outs are coming with far too much frequency for a position that is relied upon for offense. When he went on the DL last month, I was, quite frankly, surprised to see him get so few minor-league rehab starts, especially with his replacement at 3B, Iggy, hitting like a house on fire. His plate approach is all screwed up and he could use some time in Pawtucket to get squared away. Surely a player as young as he has options remaining. If Xander tears though AAA pitching and Middlebrooks keeps being a near-automatic out, the X-man deserves a shot.
3. Too many walks. This pitching staff has a big problem with handing out free passes. In fact, they lead all of baseball in walks allowed. Few things are more frustrating than watching a Red Sox pitcher issue a free pass and then having that baserunner end up scoring. Make the hitters EARN their way on base. Walks make pitchers work from the stretch, create unnecessary baserunners, and, if they are threats to steal, further distract the pitcher. If they aren't making a difference in the win-loss record so far, they will over the course of a full season. I don't know if it is a penchant for collecting pitchers with command issues or an organizational philosophy that favors nibbling, but the Red Sox have a walk problem and that needs to be fixed. It costs starters pitches, keeping them from going deeper into games, and it makes things all the more dicey later in the game, when there are fewer chances to recovery.
4. Leaky 'pen. How many starters have been robbed of wins this season because the bullpen couldn't hold the lead. Soon-to-be-ex-closer Andrew Bailey has screwed both Doubront and Lackey out of well-deserved wins just his week. The jobbing of Lackey's win also cost the team a win in a series that looks like a tough one to split, let alone win. Short outings by starters (too many walks comes into play here) leads to overexposed relievers, which leads to wholesale bullpen burnout before too long. The team lacks a bona fide closer with Bailey serving up a nightly special of meatballs, Uehara an overuse risk, and Tazawa comes across as a bit timid to be put into that situation. At this point, the best option might be Andrew Miller, providing he keeps throwing strikes and getting swings and misses. Miller is prone to wildness, however, so even he is a considerable risk with a one-run lead in the ninth.
5. What of the O's woes? It was not so long ago that the situation was reversed, with the Red Sox dominating the O's to the point where they took 16 of 18 games from them in 2009. Since late 2011 and the so-called "Curse of the Andino" (Not my term. I found it on the Red Sox blogosphere), the tables have been turned and the O's have become the Red Sox' daddy. The O's are a division rival and now stand just a half-game behind them, so it would behoove the Red Sox to find a way to beat the Baltimore birdies or at least hold their own against them. They have made some headway against the Rangers, at least in the last series where Texas paid mightily for walking Pedey to face Papi. However, they face the O's a lot more often than they do the Rangers, so they need to get their act together against Baltimore or they will soon be looking up at them, and possibly a few other teams, in the standings.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Come What May
May has been an interesting month for the Red Sox. Coming into tonight's game against the Phillies, they are in the same position in the standings that they were after their kick-ass April. However, that wasn't the case earlier on in the month.
After lighting the baseball world on fire for the first month of the season, the Red Sox crashed down to earth like an apocalyptic asteroid in the early days of May. They suddenly looked like a different team--a painful reminder of last year's debacle, starting the month out on a 3-9 skid. Their April success looked like a tease, a mirage. Their woes began in Texas, where they were swept by the Rangers. Then came their return to Fenway, which saw them drop 3 of 4 to the Twins and 2 of 3 to the Blue Jays, both opponents with records under .500. The began to recover down at the Trop, taking 2 of 3 from the Rays, and then sweeping the Twins for a 5-game winning streak. They experienced a bit of a backslide in Chicago, losing the first two games there, but they took the final game and then 3 of 4 from old friend Tito and the Indians and the first game of their interleague tilt with the Phillies.
At one point during their "dark period", they had slipped to third place in the division behind both the Yankees and the Orioles. To their credit, they pulled out of their funk and started bearing some resemblance to their April selves by putting together a couple of winning streaks and some thrilling come-from-behind victories, two of which came on back-to-back days this weekend. With Buchholz continuing to dominate and Lester being a generally reliable, if not dominant, starter and the emergence of a healthy (and trimmed down) John Lackey, the starting pitching has been solid. Doubront has improved of late as well, while Dempster has been scuffling something fierce.
On the hitting side of the game, while the bats have been streaky and strike out like there's no tomorrow, they still have scored the second most runs in all of baseball, trailing the Tigers by a mere 4 runs. Leading the Red Sox offense so far have been Pedey (.333/.425/873), Papi (.346/.408/1.030), and Nava (.289/.393/.857). Although his average is not as high as those three, Mike Napoli leads the team in RBI with 39 and has hit as many big flies (8) as Papi and Will Middlebrooks. Nava, for all he has been overlooked over the course of his career, has made a case so far this season for All-Star consideration.
Will this team be in the mix in August and September? A lot will depend on the health of key players (especially Papi, Lester, Buchholz, Pedey, and, yes, Lackey). Team chemistry has vastly improved since last season and they have shown some resilience, especially in a month that had started out so poorly for them. No one is running away with the AL East this season. The Yankees and Red Sox look pretty evenly matched as far as pitching and offense go. Both teams are relying on some veterans coming back from down seasons and while the Red Sox may have the edge in the starting rotation, they Yankees have the edge in the bullpen. The Orioles are going to stick around, remaining within striking distance of the division or wild card. The Rays have taken a step back and their pitching has struggled for the first time in a few years, but you just can't count them out yet. The Jays thought they had built a juggernaut in the offseason, but so far they've sputtered. Can they turn it around or have they dug themselves too deep a hole?
Overall, this season has been a refreshing turnaround from the recent past. There have been signs that this team will be contenders up to the very end. There have also been areas of concern, such as the lack of production from third base due to a struggling Will Middlebrooks that the team may be able to survive now, but if other things go wrong, it could become a bigger problem. The amount of free passes given out by Red Sox pitchers is a little unsettling as well. Only the atrocious Houston Astros have walked more batters than the Red Sox. So far, the pitchers have been limiting the damage caused by walks, as their ERA is 6th in the AL, but it would behoove them to stop handing out bases on balls like candy on Halloween. Cutting down on the walks will help starters go deeper into games and relievers from creating late-inning messes.
After lighting the baseball world on fire for the first month of the season, the Red Sox crashed down to earth like an apocalyptic asteroid in the early days of May. They suddenly looked like a different team--a painful reminder of last year's debacle, starting the month out on a 3-9 skid. Their April success looked like a tease, a mirage. Their woes began in Texas, where they were swept by the Rangers. Then came their return to Fenway, which saw them drop 3 of 4 to the Twins and 2 of 3 to the Blue Jays, both opponents with records under .500. The began to recover down at the Trop, taking 2 of 3 from the Rays, and then sweeping the Twins for a 5-game winning streak. They experienced a bit of a backslide in Chicago, losing the first two games there, but they took the final game and then 3 of 4 from old friend Tito and the Indians and the first game of their interleague tilt with the Phillies.
At one point during their "dark period", they had slipped to third place in the division behind both the Yankees and the Orioles. To their credit, they pulled out of their funk and started bearing some resemblance to their April selves by putting together a couple of winning streaks and some thrilling come-from-behind victories, two of which came on back-to-back days this weekend. With Buchholz continuing to dominate and Lester being a generally reliable, if not dominant, starter and the emergence of a healthy (and trimmed down) John Lackey, the starting pitching has been solid. Doubront has improved of late as well, while Dempster has been scuffling something fierce.
On the hitting side of the game, while the bats have been streaky and strike out like there's no tomorrow, they still have scored the second most runs in all of baseball, trailing the Tigers by a mere 4 runs. Leading the Red Sox offense so far have been Pedey (.333/.425/873), Papi (.346/.408/1.030), and Nava (.289/.393/.857). Although his average is not as high as those three, Mike Napoli leads the team in RBI with 39 and has hit as many big flies (8) as Papi and Will Middlebrooks. Nava, for all he has been overlooked over the course of his career, has made a case so far this season for All-Star consideration.
Will this team be in the mix in August and September? A lot will depend on the health of key players (especially Papi, Lester, Buchholz, Pedey, and, yes, Lackey). Team chemistry has vastly improved since last season and they have shown some resilience, especially in a month that had started out so poorly for them. No one is running away with the AL East this season. The Yankees and Red Sox look pretty evenly matched as far as pitching and offense go. Both teams are relying on some veterans coming back from down seasons and while the Red Sox may have the edge in the starting rotation, they Yankees have the edge in the bullpen. The Orioles are going to stick around, remaining within striking distance of the division or wild card. The Rays have taken a step back and their pitching has struggled for the first time in a few years, but you just can't count them out yet. The Jays thought they had built a juggernaut in the offseason, but so far they've sputtered. Can they turn it around or have they dug themselves too deep a hole?
Overall, this season has been a refreshing turnaround from the recent past. There have been signs that this team will be contenders up to the very end. There have also been areas of concern, such as the lack of production from third base due to a struggling Will Middlebrooks that the team may be able to survive now, but if other things go wrong, it could become a bigger problem. The amount of free passes given out by Red Sox pitchers is a little unsettling as well. Only the atrocious Houston Astros have walked more batters than the Red Sox. So far, the pitchers have been limiting the damage caused by walks, as their ERA is 6th in the AL, but it would behoove them to stop handing out bases on balls like candy on Halloween. Cutting down on the walks will help starters go deeper into games and relievers from creating late-inning messes.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Are They For Real?
Are these 2013 Red Sox for real? They of the MLB-leading 18-7 record with one more game left in April? One could be forgiven for thinking this is all just a lovely dream, given all that has happened in recent years. After all, they just came off a season that was their worst in over four decades, a season that made them the laughingstock of baseball after a late season collapse the year before and a few years of steady decline before that. You think one off-season can fix all that had been ailing the team and the franchise as a whole for the past several years?
Well, let's take a look at what the Red Sox have done to clean house: They traded some high-profile malcontents (Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, and Adrian Gonzalez) to the Dodgers for Allen Webster, Rubby De La Rosa, and assorted others. They promptly gave the passive-aggressive skipper of the 2012 shipwreck, Bobby Valentine, the axe after the season ended and hired (well, traded for) familiar face John Farrell as the new manager. Farrell, along with GM Ben Cherington, replaced the 2012 coaching staff, taking Torey Lovullo and Brian Butterfield from his staff in Toronto and hiring Juan Nieves, Greg Colbrunn, Victor Rodriguez, and former PawSox manager Arnie Beyeler. Cherington brought in free agents with a positive clubhouse reputation along with some pretty good baseball skills.
Compared to their recent predecessors, particularly the 2011 and 2012 teams, the 2013 Red Sox came into the season with less lofty expectations and more preparation for Opening Day. They were determined to get this season started on the right foot and they made their statement by going 4-2 during the first week of the season. It's a far cry from 0-6 or 1-5! They experienced some letdown in their first home series against the O's, but bounced back by sweeping the Rays, then the Indians. A 13-0 loss against the A's on a miserable, cold rainy night didn't dampen their spirits either; they won the "rubber match" the next day to take the series from Oakland, then they took care of business against the Astros with a 4-game sweep.
Can they keep this torrid pace up? Most likely not, if only because it's next to impossible to play over .700 ball over the course of a 162-game season. However, there have been some good signs in this first month that this team can be a surprise contender:
1. It all starts with the pitching. Maybe it's the return of former pitching coach John Farrell, albeit in the role of manager, that has Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz performing like it's 2010 again. Maybe Juan Nieves, their current pitching coach deserves some credit also. Ryan Dempster has pitched well in the #3 spot and Felix Doubront is showing some improvement in his ability to pitch deeper into games in his last two starts. John Lackey, who has made only two starts due to bicep inflammation has been better than expected in his return from Tommy John surgery.
2. John Farrell has brought stability, respect, and unity back to the clubhouse. Not being Bobby Valentine helps, but Farrell had a rapport with many key players on the team even before he became manager. I was skeptical in the off-season when the Red Sox were searching for their new manager that Farrell was the right man for the job, given his record in Toronto and that annoying compensation issue that had become a joke after compensation for Theo Epstein dragged out for months. However, Farrell seems to have restored order in the clubhouse and commanded the respect of the players.
3. Character counts. There are no players with the cache of Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, or Prince Fielder in the 2013 Red Sox lineup, but they are near the top of the league in runs scored nonetheless. They have shown a resilience that the 2011 and 2012 teams lacked. After a 13-zip loss to the A's last week, the 'll and '12 teams would have dropped that Wednesday afternoon game and lost the series. They probably would have managed only a split with the Astros as well.
Guys like Daniel Nava, the feel-good story of the 2010 season, epitomize what resilience is about. When healthy, Nava is a legit major-leaguer, despite being cut by his college team and not being drafted, relying on the independent leagues for professional baseball experience. He was an "out of the box" pickup for the Red Sox and he has worked his ass off to improve his plate approach and his defense. Surround him with other players who put the team first and good things will happen.
There is still a lot of work to be done in this young season and being on top in April doesn't necessarily mean they'll be on top at the end of September. They will need to keep beating the weaker teams and holding their own against the stronger ones in order to return to the playoffs for the first time in four years. Staying healthy is essential, as is having quality depth in AAA. Could they be this season's answer to the 2012 Baltimore Orioles, Oakland A's, or Washington Nationals? I'm looking forward to finding out.
Well, let's take a look at what the Red Sox have done to clean house: They traded some high-profile malcontents (Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, and Adrian Gonzalez) to the Dodgers for Allen Webster, Rubby De La Rosa, and assorted others. They promptly gave the passive-aggressive skipper of the 2012 shipwreck, Bobby Valentine, the axe after the season ended and hired (well, traded for) familiar face John Farrell as the new manager. Farrell, along with GM Ben Cherington, replaced the 2012 coaching staff, taking Torey Lovullo and Brian Butterfield from his staff in Toronto and hiring Juan Nieves, Greg Colbrunn, Victor Rodriguez, and former PawSox manager Arnie Beyeler. Cherington brought in free agents with a positive clubhouse reputation along with some pretty good baseball skills.
Compared to their recent predecessors, particularly the 2011 and 2012 teams, the 2013 Red Sox came into the season with less lofty expectations and more preparation for Opening Day. They were determined to get this season started on the right foot and they made their statement by going 4-2 during the first week of the season. It's a far cry from 0-6 or 1-5! They experienced some letdown in their first home series against the O's, but bounced back by sweeping the Rays, then the Indians. A 13-0 loss against the A's on a miserable, cold rainy night didn't dampen their spirits either; they won the "rubber match" the next day to take the series from Oakland, then they took care of business against the Astros with a 4-game sweep.
Can they keep this torrid pace up? Most likely not, if only because it's next to impossible to play over .700 ball over the course of a 162-game season. However, there have been some good signs in this first month that this team can be a surprise contender:
1. It all starts with the pitching. Maybe it's the return of former pitching coach John Farrell, albeit in the role of manager, that has Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz performing like it's 2010 again. Maybe Juan Nieves, their current pitching coach deserves some credit also. Ryan Dempster has pitched well in the #3 spot and Felix Doubront is showing some improvement in his ability to pitch deeper into games in his last two starts. John Lackey, who has made only two starts due to bicep inflammation has been better than expected in his return from Tommy John surgery.
2. John Farrell has brought stability, respect, and unity back to the clubhouse. Not being Bobby Valentine helps, but Farrell had a rapport with many key players on the team even before he became manager. I was skeptical in the off-season when the Red Sox were searching for their new manager that Farrell was the right man for the job, given his record in Toronto and that annoying compensation issue that had become a joke after compensation for Theo Epstein dragged out for months. However, Farrell seems to have restored order in the clubhouse and commanded the respect of the players.
3. Character counts. There are no players with the cache of Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, or Prince Fielder in the 2013 Red Sox lineup, but they are near the top of the league in runs scored nonetheless. They have shown a resilience that the 2011 and 2012 teams lacked. After a 13-zip loss to the A's last week, the 'll and '12 teams would have dropped that Wednesday afternoon game and lost the series. They probably would have managed only a split with the Astros as well.
Guys like Daniel Nava, the feel-good story of the 2010 season, epitomize what resilience is about. When healthy, Nava is a legit major-leaguer, despite being cut by his college team and not being drafted, relying on the independent leagues for professional baseball experience. He was an "out of the box" pickup for the Red Sox and he has worked his ass off to improve his plate approach and his defense. Surround him with other players who put the team first and good things will happen.
There is still a lot of work to be done in this young season and being on top in April doesn't necessarily mean they'll be on top at the end of September. They will need to keep beating the weaker teams and holding their own against the stronger ones in order to return to the playoffs for the first time in four years. Staying healthy is essential, as is having quality depth in AAA. Could they be this season's answer to the 2012 Baltimore Orioles, Oakland A's, or Washington Nationals? I'm looking forward to finding out.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Power Surge, Starring Will Middlebrooks
Lester's 7 innings of shutout ball were almost an afterthought in The Game Where Will Middlebrooks Smacks The Living Hell Out Of The Baseball. After an opening series win in Da Bronx, which found the Sox successful, if lacking in pop, the Boston bats made up for lost time by knocking 6 round-trippers in a 13-0 rout of the Blue Jays. Half of those homers were hit by Will Middlebrooks, who came a few feet shy of becoming the first Red Sox ever to go yard 4 times in a game. He added a double between homers #1 and 2. The other three were hit by Nava, Ells, and Napoli respectively.
The one-sided slugfest had Blue Jays fans forgetting about booing John Farrell and turning on their pitchers instead, especially R.A. Dickey. The reigning Cy Young winner was a case in point for what happens when the knuckleball doesn't knuckle. He had trouble from the get-go, with the Red Sox putting up 5 runs in the first inning, culminating in Middlebrooks' first HR of the day. After being shut out in yesterday's game, the Red Sox would not be denied. They come home from their first roadie of the season with a 4-2 record, a vast improvement over 0-6 (2011) and 1-5 (2012). It's still very early days, but the 2013 Red Sox are starting out on the right foot and playing hungry. They will be deserving of an enthusiastic and appreciative crowd tomorrow afternoon at Fenway. It's important for them to carry those good vibes from the road trip into their series against a team that has bedeviled them of late: The Baltimore Orioles. Picking up at least 2 of 3 from another division rival would be so very sweet! Let's do it, boys!
The one-sided slugfest had Blue Jays fans forgetting about booing John Farrell and turning on their pitchers instead, especially R.A. Dickey. The reigning Cy Young winner was a case in point for what happens when the knuckleball doesn't knuckle. He had trouble from the get-go, with the Red Sox putting up 5 runs in the first inning, culminating in Middlebrooks' first HR of the day. After being shut out in yesterday's game, the Red Sox would not be denied. They come home from their first roadie of the season with a 4-2 record, a vast improvement over 0-6 (2011) and 1-5 (2012). It's still very early days, but the 2013 Red Sox are starting out on the right foot and playing hungry. They will be deserving of an enthusiastic and appreciative crowd tomorrow afternoon at Fenway. It's important for them to carry those good vibes from the road trip into their series against a team that has bedeviled them of late: The Baltimore Orioles. Picking up at least 2 of 3 from another division rival would be so very sweet! Let's do it, boys!
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