Pitching and team defense are two things which have always been in short supply for the Boston Red Sox. In my lifetime the Sox were always an overwhelmingly right handed power hitting team that tried to take advantage of the Green Monster at Fenway. That old way has changed dramatically since Theo Epstein has arrived on the scene. Those changes are most vivid in this year's edition of the Boston infield. During the off season the Sox changed every position in the infield and those changes have been paying big dividends as the club is leading the league in defense. This is rather a stunning development for those die hard Sox fans who have seen the likes of Don Buddin, Dick (Dr. Strangeglove) Stuart and a host of other slow footed, short ranged infielders kick the ball around.
The left side of the infield has been a delight to watch every day. Mike Lowell has been just as advertised as a gold glover and rumors of his slow bat speed and expected decline coming off of a down year last year are very premature. He has been at the top of the league in extra base hit and has been a doubles machine at Fenway. His production is highlighted by the fact that he trails David Ortiz in total bases 103 to 102. Alex Gonzalez had gotten off to a slow start at the plate but his work in the field has been slick and consistent. As of late his bat has come around as well.
Mark Loretta has been been steady if not spectacular in all aspects of his game. Touted as a heady ball player who would be an extra coach on the field, he has proven to be just that with some key hitting and solid fielding. Loretta always seems to be in the right place. First base had been a question mark this year with former part time third baseman Kevin Youkilis being moved over there to make way for the acquisition of Lowell. Dubbed the Greek God of walks (he is not Greek) by Billy Beene, Youkilis has been an on base percentage machine matching Manny Ramirez at .435% . With Coco Crisp's early season injury, the leadoff spot looked to be a weakness that Youkilis quickly turned into a strength. His fielding speaks for itself when you consider that J.T. Snow had been acquired in the off season for his glove and he simply cannot get much playing time because of the complete game exhibited by Youkilis.
The outfield has been steady if unspectacular. Nixon patrols right field in his usual highly competent fashion. His contribution on offense has been just as solid as he his hitting over .300 with 26 walks compared to 15 strike outs. We haven't seen enough of Crisp to make any comparisons with Johnny Damon but we were tantalized with Crisp's obvious skills in the early season enough to make us optimistic. Having lost him for 42 games and still be ahead of the Evil Empire by 2 games after the first 48 is heartening.
Wily Mo Pena hasn't made everyone forget Bronson Arroyo just yet. However, with a little more growth and experience he very well could. He filled in adequately defensively in center while Crisp was down and contributed power and average on offense. If he learns to lay off the outside breaking ball he will become an even more effective force. He is currently tied for the team lead in strikeouts with David Ortiz. Ortiz however has had more than 70 more at bats.
Manny has been Manny so far. He was slow out of the gate but the next thing you know he is hitting .311 with 11 home runs. Ortiz is down a bit in average to .270 but his power numbers and clutch hitting have not declined. When your in the park you can almost feel the fan expectations as Ortiz comes to the plate. This fan anticipation can not be lost on the opposing pitcher as he stares in at the big man.
The pitching has been the brightest spot. Schilling and Beckett make up the core of the staff and though their ERA's have not been spectacular they have been making quality starts and getting deep into games. Wakefield has been steady if unspectacular. Yesterday's 8 shut out innings went a long way to helping rest the bullpen. He is getting the least run support of any of the starting pitching. The fourth spot is occupied by Matt Clement. Clement has been the biggest disappointment of the season. He has nasty stuff but is no mystery this year as opponents are hitting him all over the yard as his 6.35 ERA will attest.
The fifth spot in the rotation is again up for grabs as David Wells was struck on the knee cap the other night in his first start back from knee rehab. Wells should never be counted out but he is the oldest pitcher ever to make a start of the Sox. Lenny Dinardo had a couple of chances to hold down the position by it is apparent that an 83 mile an hour fastball is not going to cut it for him in the bigs. He can get through the order once but the next time up the opposing order is shelling him. Other options down on the farm are John Lester and Craig Hansen. They are both being protected in the amount of work they are getting so that they will be fresh in the latter part of the year.
The bull pen has been the highlight of the year to date. Jonathan Papelbon is 18 for 18 in save opportunities and is sporting an .035 earned run average. Timlin has been outstanding as the set up man with a 1.40 ERA but has just gone to the DL with a shoulder strain. That leaves a rather inconsistent Keith Foulke and perhaps Julian Tavares as eigth inning specialists. Rudy Seanez is also in the mix but he has not impressed as of yet this year.
There is along way to go but there is no denying this is a solid team fundamentally and is going to be in the mix right down to the end. As always the Yankees will be there at the end but with the Big Unit struggling and some age showing on some of their stars they may not have enough to keep us out of first place. I must admit being sorry to see Matsui go down with such a severe wrist injury. That guy is as classy as they come. His apology to Yankee fans for getting injured was a lesson for every player in every American pro sport.
The Yanks will inevitably make a big money deal near the end of the season to shore themselves up but the Sox have a good deal of money to spare this year and can match any trading deadline acquisitions. So it's Memorial Day and baseball is underway in earnest and we have a team with a lot of skill as well more upside potential. Go Sox!
