Two weeks into baseball season. That’s just about where we find ourselves now. A tiny fragment of the enormity that is a 162 game season, to be sure, but large enough to safely evaluate the state of a team in the early going. Certainly things will change between now and October; injuries, trades, slumps, and hot streaks all play into how a team fares over the course of a season. That being said, what do we know about the 2015 Boston Red Sox that we did not know two weeks ago? Here are my top three takeaways for the Red Sox nine games into the season:
1. The concerns surrounding the rotation were well founded
Entering the season, perhaps no pitching staff in baseball had as many question marks surrounding it as the Sox rotation did. Remade in the second half of the 2014 season and over the course of the offseason, the rotation now features five guys who have all been at least dependable at various points in their careers, but no true ace. Whether that really matters or not depends on who you ask, but what does matter is consistency, and the starters have displayed anything but. Each has taken the mound twice thus far, aside from Joe Kelly, who was magnificent in his first start of the season, and each has had mixed results. Rick Porcello is 1-1, though, to be fair, he has pitched well and would be 2-0 were it not for one errant pitch in his Red Sox debut against the Philadelphia Phillies. Clay Buchholz dominated on Opening Day and looked to have recaptured his 2013 form before completely disintegrating against the New York Yankees. Justin Masterson and Wade Miley have had equally mixed results. The staff will need to find its groove if Boston intends compete for a title this year. Fortunately for the Red Sox…
2. The offense, on the other hand, is legit
And it should scare the hell out of the relatively weak starting pitching featured by the Sox’ American League East opponents. The team has scored fewer than five runs just twice in the early going, and that’s going to be enough to make up for mediocre pitching most nights. Aside from the catcher’s spot in the lineup, occupied either by the weak-hitting Sandy Leon or the equally ineffectual Ryan Hanigan, there is not an easy out on the roster. Batting in the lead-off spot, center fielder Mookie Betts has more than lived up to the hype. The batting average isn’t there yet, but the production is. With two home runs, four steals, and eight runs batted in, Betts has provided a spark at the top of the order and has kept pitchers off balance on the basepaths. Hell, he’s keeping entire teams off balance. Stealing two bases on one play against the Washington Nationals did more than just set up an RBI opportunity for designated hitter David Ortiz, and was more than an incredible display of athleticism and situational awareness; it showed opponents that if Betts is on base, they can’t shift the defense, or he’s taking two. And if teams can’t shift against Big Papi, don’t be surprised if he has one of his best statistical years at age 39.
Additionally, second baseman Dustin Pedroia has quickly silenced his doubters. After hand and wrist injuries sapped his power in 2013 and 2014, Pedroia is finally healthy and ready to mash. Limited to just seven long bombs all of last season, the former MVP has hit three already, putting the league on notice that the Laser Show, as he is affectionately known, is making a comeback tour. And it’s not just the starters doing the heavy lifting. Daniel Nava could start in the outfield for most teams, as could Allen Craig at first base. Brock Holt, who can play every position except pitcher and catcher (and let’s be honest, he could probably do that, too), has been the epitome of a supersub. The Brockstar has collected eight hits and five RBI on his way to a .533 batting average off the bench. Overall, the Sox are tied atop the league with the Oakland Athletics with 56 runs scored, have hit the third most home runs, and lead the league with 54 RBI. So, where does Boston find itself after nine games? Well…
3. The Red Sox are 6-3
And sit atop the AL East, one game ahead of the Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays, and Toronto Blue Jays, and three games ahead of the last-place Yankees. And folks, at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters. For the most part, it hasn’t been pretty. Boston has had to win by out-hitting its opponents because it hasn’t been able to out-pitch them, and they will likely not be able to count on that to carry them through the season. The offense will dry up for stretches, perhaps long stretches, and the rotation will need to step up. However, for now, they are winning games. The potency of this offense has carried the team to three consecutive series wins to open a season for the first time since 1952. More than anything, this gives the Sox time; time either for the rotation to settle in, or for the front office to bring in reinforcements, should that prove necessary. Whatever happens with the pitching, one thing seems certain: this is going to be a fun season.
Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images
