| 19 May 2010
We're officially 40 game into the season and the Red Sox are 20-20.
Not so hot...
This team was supposed to be based on pitching and defense. Right now, we rank last in the AL in ERA at 4.94 and 27th overall. We have four starters with at least one 15-win season in the rotation, but statistically, our best starter in 2010 has been Clay Buchholz at 4-3, 3.46.
Beckett has been a mess. Lackey has four wins but has been mediocre at best. And Dice-K has been a distater since returing from the DL. The bullpen hasn't helped, notching a 5-8 record and 7 blown saves. Early on the starters put them in some tough spots, but if you have that many decisions among your RPs, there's a problem. One of those problems would be the league worst 22 homers allowed by relievers this year...
The defense appears average on paper, with 25 errors in 1530 chances (.985%, T8), but the two "defensive upgrades" we brought in lead the team in errors: Beltre with 7 and Scuataro with 6, after making 2 last night. But the errors don't tell the whoe story. Our back-up OFs have looked sloppy with Ellsbury and Cameron on the bench and the catchers continue to struggle to hold runners.
Oh, and that pesky Mike Lowell situation seems to be getting worse...
But at 20-20 the glass is either half full or half empty, so let's focus on the positive.
Kevin Youkilis is hitting .408/.755/1.350 with 4 homers, 3 doubles, 1 triple and 10 RBI in May. He's also walked 21 times and fanned only 7 time in those 49 at-bats and has 2 hits in each of his last three games.
JD Drew is hitting .400/.617/1.080 with 2 homers, 7 doubles and 15 RBI and has 8 multi-hit games this month.
David Ortiz is hitting .367/.755/1.063 in May with 6 home runs, 1 double and 15 RBI. He's raised his average from .171 to .248 in his last 10 games.
The Sox fell down 5-0 in both games against the Yankees, but never quit. With the untouchable Phil Hughes on the mound on Monday, they could have mailed it in after Matsuzaka stunk up the first, but they fought back an should have won the game. Paplebon blew it, but that's what makes yesterday's win so important. The Sox Went down 5-0 again, but rallied and held the lead this time. Papelbon got anoth chance and earned the save even after Scuatro coughed up a run with an error.
I thought they showed alot of heart in that 2-game series and I think that could carry over going forward.
We should get Ellsbury and Cameron back on the field this weekend, and that should help defensively. How their return with effect the offense is up for debate, but Francona has always said that the Sox are at their best with Ellsbury leading off. I have to assume that having him and Scutaro at 1 and 9 will be better that Scoots and "one of the back-ups."
Jon Lester has bounced back from a horrible April with a 2-0, 2.86 ERA and 22 Ks in 3 starts in May. He faltered a bit in Detroit, but there's no reason to think he can't finish as strongly as he did last season.
I don't know what to think about Beckett or Matsuzaka right now, but there is hope that Lackey will get better. In 2009, he posted a 4.93 ERA and a .296 BAA in 12 first half starts, but finsihed the second half with a 3.05 ERA and a .239 BAA in his last 15 starts.
Bottom Line: We've got a tough rest of the month here, but there are signs of hope and I'm trying to stay positive.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
