before this season, everyone assumed the sox had one of the top offenses in baseball and the question most asked was whether the offense could compensate for the starting pitching.
well...what a difference 50 games make. in the month of May, the sox averaged 2.8 runs per game. NO ONE ELSE IN BASEBALL AVERAGED LESS THAN 3 RUNS PER GAME IN MAY.
the starting pitching has been worse than worried about. the starters are not bad in the sense of lack of talent. they fluctuate between good and crappy, with too many visits to the world of crapocity. it is as if the entire starting rotation decided to become bi-polar this season.
the "heros" right now are wright and rodriquez, both of whom started the season in AAA. i am a big fan of wright, but if he is one of your top starters, you have troubles.
buchholz is showing you can never know what he will do. miley and kelly may best be part of the bullpen. porcello? the "ace" is anything but. his non-performance is perhaps the biggest problem on the starting staff.
the bull pen has the usual stars, but the middle innings guys are worse than sucky. can anyone tell me why breslow still has a job in major league baseball?
the offense, what to say? they seem to take turns in failing to hit when it counts. is big papi toast? i dont know, but he does seem to have butter and jelly spread all of him. yet, slow starts are not unusual for him. so hope, or at least denial, abounds.
napoli, after the film sessions with peddy seems to be back on track. but panda still cant hit left handers. hanley is inconsistent and let's be kind and NOT discuss his defense. the OF is a mess in general. catching? ha, swihart may emerge out of all this as an all star, but for now he is still a rookie.
so, this team is disappointing on all fronts. i dont know how much longer farrell can hang onto his job. unless this team performs remotely to their abilities his future as manager of the sox may not be a long and happy one.
cripes, this team is disappointing this year.