A Discouraging Season

Over the past few weeks, I've been disappointed by what the Red Sox have been able to accomplish.  They just haven't played at the level of baseball I am accustomed to seeing from the Sox, and I've been shying away from blogging about it, but I can't do it any longer.

The Red Sox record is 38-47 and they are falling further and further out of the race for October baseball.  It bums me out to say this, but they haven't shown enough signs for that to change any time soon; this season may be over.  The pitching hasn't been the problem. Sure they have had issues, but most teams do.

The bats in the lineup have been ice cold, and that's the big problem. The sox have lost 18 one run games this season, that's 38% of their losses that could have been wins with just one or two more key hits.  With runners in scoring position the Red Sox are only hitting .230 as a team.  I'm not gonna point any fingers, but let's just say that we could use more from a defensive shortstop that can't hit or an offensive catcher that doesn't hit homers, and it would be nice if a certain center fielder didn't strike out 32% of the time with that uppercut swing, and if a certain rookie would stop making errors at third base.  Like I said, I'm not going to point fingers, and the whole team needs to step up if they want to make up 8 games in the division.

Big Difference a Week Makes- Holt and 4.0 WCGB

After a miserable 10 game losing streak, the Red Sox finally seemed to find themselves and won seven straight games!  They went from being the second worst team to in the MLB, to a respectable 6 games out of first.  However, they didn't seem to bring that same level of play to Cleveland because they were just swept by the Indians.  They now stand at 9 games out of first place which is currently held by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Sox fans are tough and when they are losing it's a unacceptable and frustrating experience for all of them.  A big reason that I believe that the Sox have what it takes is to turn this around this season and Sox Nation should get excited is because they have had guys stepping up in a big way while other guys on the team have been slumping.  David Ortiz has been their biggest offensive producer this year with 13 homers and 33 rbis, but another player who deserves a lot of credit is Brock Holt   This guy has really developed in a very short time and filled a crucial role for the Red Sox.  I'll admit that when I first saw him in action I wasn't all that impressed because he didn't really seem to have much power and he wasn't driving the ball in a way I like seeing.  I was completely wrong about Holt.  Over the last 6 games for the Red Sox, he has the most hits, the most doubles, the most rbis, and a .321 batting average.  He has been playing at a high level and not enough offensive players are matching him.  I hope that he remains on the team even after Napoli returns from the disabled list.

Despite their ups and downs this season, I still think that the Red Sox have what it takes to be a playoff contender this year.  For starters, there are 103 games left on the Red Sox schedule.  That is a lot of time to gain ground on other teams in the division.  If the Red Sox win one more game then the Blue Jays for every 10 games that they play, they'll be in first by one game at the end of the season.  In addition to that, they are only 4 games out of a wild card spot! That is an incredible feat considering their struggles this season and it goes to show us that baseball is very unpredictable and entertaining.

Go Sox!

Seriously, How Bout Them Red Sox

I love the Red Sox. I absolutely love them. That’s why I can tell you that this season sucks.. They are 21-29 and thank God they just broke a 10 game losing streak! They’re tough to watch sometimes, but I just hope that they turn things around soon.

Part of my frustration comes from the fact that I don’t even know why they are so bad this year. They have a lot of the key players that they had last year, and we all know that the Sox won the world series last year! Yes, they lost a few players like Ellsbury, Saltalamacchia, and Drew, but were they that much of a key to the success of the team? 

I feel that many of the players may have some confidence problems at the plate this year for whatever reason. Jackie Bradley Jr actually admitted to feeling “lost” and he may not be alone. The best hitter as far as hitting average is concerned is Xander Bogaerts with a .279 average. That’s not a bad average don’t get me wrong, but he shouldn’t be leading the team with it. Guys like Pedroia, Ortiz, and Napoli are capable of much higher than that. 

The hitting hasn’t been the only problem. The pitching isn’t that hot either! The Red Sox starting rotation has a weak 3-4-5 punch and the combined ERA for the starters is over 4.50. It’s hard to win games when the team is always behind. The bulpen has an ERA around 3.20, but when I watch them I still feel like they aren’t doing good enough. Miller has lost 4 walk off games, Mujica has an ERA over 6, and Breslow allows opponents to hit .313 off of him!

I believe that the Red Sox will turn things around this season when they get completely healthy, get RBIs with runners in scoring position, and solidify their pitching. Until then, I’ll be watching with my fingers crossed.