The state of the Boston Red Sox: What the f*ck is going on?

Logan on 04 17, 2009

What the hell is going on in Boston? You come into the 2009 season as one of the favorites to reach the World Series and you’re playing like you’re ticket to the post-season is already punched just because you’re the Boston Red Sox? I mean New York is a circus, they’re throwing Nick Swisher out on the mound and yet if you haven’t noticed, the Yankees have a better record than the Red Sox thus far. In fact, the entire AL East has a better record. The Red Sox find themselves 3-6 after their first nine games, dead last in the division that so many considered themselves a favorite to win.

Talk about a team without heart, a team without an identity.

I realize it’s early in the season. I realize that the Red Sox have had one of the tougher schedules thus far, and yes I’m aware that they generally struggle on west coast swings, but 3-6? Let’s look at some of the statistics after the first nine games:

Jacoby Ellsbury, the lead-off hitter, is hitting .194 with an on-base percentage of .256. David Ortiz, the usually feared slugger is batting .176 with 0 home runs and 8 strikeouts. Dustin Pedroia, the reigning AL MVP, is hitting .179. The only hitters with batting averages above .300 are Jason Bay and Kevin Youkilis. This is an offense that, aside from Manny Ramirez, hasn’t changed since last year when they were one of the most productive offenses in the league. What happened?

It doesn’t stop from an offensive standpoint. Jon Lester had a break-out year in 2008 with 16 wins and an ERA just over 3.00. This year has been slightly different. Lester is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in two starts. Daisuke Matsuzaka was great not only last season, but he was also named this years’ World Baseball Classic MVP for the second consecutive year. However in 2009 it has been another story. Daisuke is 0-1 with a 12.79 ERA in his two starts. He left his last start after giving up 5 runs in one inning of work against the Oakland A’s. Now he finds himself on the disabled list with arm fatigue two weeks into the season. Arm fatigue after two starts? Really?

Julio Lugo and Jed Lowrie are on the disabled list leaving Nick Green as the starting shortstop. Nick Green. Ever heard of him? Yeah, me neither.

For some reason all of major league baseball seems to focus on the Yankees and their struggles this season, and rightfully so given their off-season activities, but how can we ignore what’s going on in bean town? The Red Sox are 12th in the AL in batting average and 10th in on base percentage. The Sox have a 5.02 ERA (10th in the AL) and have walked 37 hitters through 9 games (also 10th in the AL).

This is a team without an identity. Manny Ramirez left and now this team seems to lack a personality. Is Manny’s departure the reason for the Red Sox’s struggles in 2009? Not entirely, but it has got to have something to do with it.

We can focus on the Yankees and their 5-4 start all we want, but there’s no escaping the truth. The Red Sox have been one the most disappointing team through the first two weeks of the season in all of baseball. With one of the deepest pitching staffs, starting rotation and bull-pen included, and one of the best line-ups 1-9 in all of baseball, how can this team be 3-6? I’ll tell you why. It’s because the Red Sox are playing they just don’t care. Like they expect to just be handed a spot in the post-season. And frankly, it’s becoming embarrassing to watch.

The Red Sox are truly in need of a signature win. How many times have we seen a team complete a no-hitter, get involved in a benches clearing brawl, or complete an epic comeback to propel themselves into a winning streak and never look back? This is one of those times, regardless of how early it is in the season. Personally, I think Beckett hitting Abreu in the head the other day would have been the best thing to happen to the Red Sox. The Red Sox need something to light a fire under their asses, because right now they’re playing with no purpose whatsoever.

The starting rotation now looks like this: Beckett, Lester (struggling), Wakefield, Penny and either Justin Masterson or Hunter Jones (recently called up from AAA to take Daisuke’s spot on the roster). Lester has been shaky thus far, Wakefield and Penny are as inconsistent as it gets, and Masterson has been working out of the pen for the better part of the last few years. This isn’t exactly a rotation that should make Sox fans feel better about the upcoming weeks. Those aren’t the only questions facing the BoSox. Will Ellsbury start to produce in the lead-off spot? Will Matsuzaka be able to stay off the disabled list the rest of the way? Will Lester return to 2008 form? Will Big Papi get it together? Is Mike Lowell truly healthy? Is Varitek really the answer behind the plate? When will Smoltz be ready and will he contribute? Right now there are too many questions facing this team to expect them to turn this around any time soon.

The Red Sox have a nine game home stand coming up against the Orioles, Twins and Yankees. If they don’t start playing with some passion, this team could become one of the most disappointing ball clubs in recent history.