State of the 2011 Boston Red Sox

Struggles continue for the Red Sox

After spending $160 million in the offseason, the 2011 Boston Red Sox were picked by many including me to win the World Series. The Red Sox have not had a good start dropping their first four games of the season. Actually, this year is the worst start for the Red Sox since 1996 when the team lost their first six games to start the season.

Earlier this week, the Red Sox were swept by Texas Rangers getting outscored 26-11 in a three game series to start the year. Their starting pitching has given up eleven homeruns in just four games. This is one of the reasons that the Red Sox have not won a game. Jon Lester gave up five runs in the season opener, John Lackey gave up nine earned runs in game two, and Clay Buchholz gave up four solo homeruns in the series finale. These are the pitchers that were expected to lead the Red Sox deep into the post-season. It is no surprise that the Fenway Faithful are nervous the first week of the season.

Many Red Sox fans have started to panic saying that the new pitching coach,Curt Young, might be the reason for these early pitching performances. Despite the disappointing start, the pitching will get better. Remember that the Texas Rangers are the defending American League champions. Daniel Bard has also struggled coming in to games as a relief pitcher from the bullpen giving up four runs in his debut. The Red Sox will turn their season around and contend in the A.L. East. Everything has gone wrong so far for the Boston Red Sox including a 3-1 loss last night to the Cleveland Indians. Red Sox hitting was the problem last night only getting a total of four hits in the entire game.

Thankfully the season is only four games old and there is still one hundred and fifty seven games left. Josh Beckett pitched a great game last night throwing five strong innings allowing just three runs. Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, the two new faces in the lineup, went a combined 0-8 last night in the team’s fourth straight loss. The Red Sox players seem to be pressing and putting a lot of pressure on themselves every pitch, at bat, and inning. Desperate hitters usually struggle at the plate. Pitchers who worry about making a mistake or trying to be too accurate tend to either make mistakes or walk batters. This may be causing some of their problems.

Prior to the season, experts predicted the Red Sox to win one hundred games and win the World Series. Four games into the season, most people do not know what to think. With all the new additions to this year’s team, the Boston Red Sox management does not seem to be worried. Many say that the team needs to have a game in which they hit the ball well and have a great pitching performance. This would turn around their early struggles. Red Sox manager Terry Francona has yet to have the same lineup in two consecutive games this season. This may be a reason that six of the ten players that have played are hitting under .200. Most teams have a set lineup and stay with it for several games instead of changing it after each game that the team loses. Eventually I am sure the Red Sox will have a set batting order helping the players feel more comfortable at the plate.

There have been a few bright spots despite the team’s abysmal start to the season. David Ortiz is hitting .267 with four RBI. “Big Papi” Ortiz already has hit two home runs this season. Last year he did not hit a bomb until June. Obviously he is on pace to hit more then his 32 a season ago. Adrian Gonzalez, free agent from the San Diego Padres is hitting .294, driving in three runs, and having one stolen base. Dustin Pedroia is the leading hitter on the team with a .333 batting average, five total bases. Dustin is the spark plug that fires up the rest of the Red Sox machine.

Like others, I have started to get worried with the Boston Red Sox mostly because their pitching is doing awful. The team’s pitching staff earned run average is 9.00 in four games needs to improve tonight when Daisuke Matsuzaka takes the hill against the Cleveland Indians. Jon Lester, the number one Red Sox pitcher and contender for last year’s Cy Young has an 8.44 ERA in just one game start. John Lackey the number two pitcher had a disappointing season last year going 14-11 with a 4.41 ERA had a bad first start. He did not even complete four innings. His ERA stands at 22.09. Clay Buchholz had an outstanding season a year ago with a career best seventeen wins and a 2.33 ERA. Buckholz has a 5.68 ERA in just one start this season. Thus far, Josh Beckett had the best start for the Red Sox this season allowing just three runs with a 5.40 ERA in a loss to Cleveland last night. The Red Sox relief pitchers in the bullpen have also laid an egg. Daniel Bard, set-up man for Papelbon has a 21.60 ERA in just 1 ⅔ innings. Dan Wheeler, former Tampa Rays reliever, has a 13.50 ERA allowing a homerun in 1 ⅓ innings pitched this season. Johnathan Papelbon has giving up a run, walked a batter, and hit a batter in just one inning of work. His ERA sits at 9.00 in just one inning of work.

Standing in last place in the American League East without a win, the Boston Red Sox need to get back on track tonight at Progressive Field against the Cleveland Indians. The game is in Cleveland. With Daisuke Matsuzaka on the mound and other pitchers not doing very well, maybe it is time for Daisuke to lead with a stellar performance. The team needs to win for the first time this season. The pre-season favorite in the American League is anxious to turn this season around after the worst start since 1996. There are few good memories back in the 20th century. Believe me, the team and its fans do not want to start comparing this year’s team to Red Sox teams prior to 2003.

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