I would like to begin my blog by talking about the good old Boston Red Sox, who aren't having a particularly great season so far. As of tonight, after losing to the Tampa Bay Rays 7-4 they are currently 22-23, which in the AL east division is not good enough to break out of the cellar. After a painful loss to three homers, the Sox face the second place Rays in two more home games the next couple of days and look to break back into the standings.
Now, on an analytical perspective of the Red Sox, I personally feel like that their main problem is their starting rotation. I mean, Clay Bucholtz is sucking pretty bad right now while John Lester is on and off himself. Daniel Bard balks every time he's on the mound and Josh Beckett has been a complete A-hole. Felix Doubront, the starter with the least major league experience under his belt, is the only consistent pitcher I've seen yet. As for the Sox bullpen, however, you've got one of the best in the majors - Rich Hill, Vincente Pedilla, Matt Albers, Scott Atchison, Andrew Miller, Franklin Morales and last but certainly not least, Alfredo Aceves, who, after Andrew Bailey's injury earlier in spring training, has really stepped up to the plate and done a tremendous job closing the door for the Sox with 11 saves already.
As for the offense, I'm not sure what to think. They started off very slow in April, getting blown away by the Tigers and the Blue Jays but now it seems that they've found their groove. Dustin Pedroia is consistently getting on base and David Ortiz has been crushing a high 10 homers (8th in AL) with a batting average of .325 (6th in AL). Following the injuries of Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford, Kevin Youklis and more, it is important to realize that the Red Sox truly are playing with the end of their bench, even though they're playing somewhat decent. Mike Aviles has been absolutely filthy on the field at shortstop (way better than Marco Scutaro in my opinion) and just as good batting lead-off. Cody Ross...I have my complaints about here and there but I think he's an all-around good baseball player that loves being in Boston; I enjoy watching him bat. Kelly Shoppach is a great addition to the team this year behind the dish but is batting like absolute crap - he strikes out almost all of the time and does terrible in clutch opportunities. Inversely, my commends go dearest towards Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who has been an absolute baller this year at the plate and as the main catcher. With other help from new players like Will Middlebrooks and Daniel Nava, the Red Sox are doing fairly well on offense.
So what is the reason the Red Sox are doing so poorly this season? Why haven't they been able to break a winning record yet this season? My theory invovles the ball club management. I know it's stereotypical for people to point fingers at the leader but Bobby Valentine is an abomination to the Red Sox franchise. He is celebrity figure, not a ball club manager. The recent lineups for the Red Sox are absolutely horrendous! Despite Aviles batting first, everybody else seems to be in the wrong place. How I would personally arrange my fantasy lineup (with the players that are available now) would be similar to last season with Mike Avilies, Dustin Pedroia, Will Middlebrooks, David Ortiz, Adrian Gonzalez, Daniel Nava, Cody Ross, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Sweeney. Of course, the Sox will be playing a whole new ball game when Ellsbury and Crawford return to the lineup.
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