These are 10 things I expected to see through 20 plus games. As we know, there are many more that could be listed. This is a team that is desperate for some sort of a solution with pitching. The hitting will be there throughout the year. It's the pitching as a whole that this team will have to try and piece together to keep them in a pennant race. I hear everyday "oh if we get Hamels" What about getting Hamels? He is one guy. This staff has so many issues, one guy is not going to solve the problems. This is a problem that took place in the offseason. Yes they bolstered that offense to score 800 runs this year. But they also put together a pitching staff that will give up just as many runs as they score. Come on now...Ross, Varvaro, Mujica coming out of the pen is not a collective remedy for winning the pennant. This bullpen is filled with 11th and 12th guys on a pitching staff. Cherrington should and could have done better. It could be getting close to having a new sheriff in town.
1. Red Sox have scored 109 runs, which puts them 2nd in the AL.
2. Always a patient club when hitting and making pitchers work hard and throw pitches, so the League lead in walks in AL is not a surprise.
3. I think we all expected them to hit more homeruns and have more power as a team. This is showing up in the stats. 25 Home runs puts them 3rd in the American League.
4. I expected them as a staff to have a high ERA. But 5.23 era is shocking, which puts them dead last in ERA. When you don't have a starting rotation that can go deep into ballgames and you're constantly using a depleted bullpen, it's trouble. There is so much more to that 5.23 ERA. The starting pitching has been terrible for the most part. No command, missing spots, bad 0-2 pitches, not moving hitters off the plate. Man I could write 2 pages on why. You can't really ask the bullpen to do more than what they are trying to do. Besides not having the personnel in the bullpen, they are at this time being overworked. Running guys up and down from triple A isn't going to solve anything either. They are in triple a for a reason.
5. 198 hits in 192.2 innings pitched by the staff. Not too bad, especially compared to some of the other stats in the pitching department.
6. A 427% slugging against Red Sox pitching, which ranks them last in the AL. That is horrible. It just shows you they have given up lots of extra base hits. This has to change and it starts with the starters.
7. A 7.29 era for Red Sox pitchers in the 6th inning alone and a 5.43 era in the 5th inning. That's terrible. I feel it will change some but how much? Don't know. This has a a lot to do with the guys you have in the starting rotation. Red Sox don't have that guy that you know will give you close to 7 innings a start. They don't have that guy that can grind and grit out those middle innings. That's what a number 1 guy in a rotation does. He gets you through those tough middle innings and saves the bullpen. The only guy with experience being a number 1 is Masterson with Cleveland. To me he was with Cleveland because there really wasn't anyone else to fit that spot at the time in Cleveland. I know when I got to the 6th inning I bowed my neck and made pitches because I was seeing the finish line. Those middle innings are shut down innings and as a pitcher you have to dig deep within yourself and make the pitches you need to make. These guys just are not doing it, and with lots of reasons.
8. This is a shocking stat: 5.71 era with an 0-2 count with 3 home runs and 11 earned runs given up. Again, missing location, poor execution on their pitch. Just shitty pitching.
9. A good note. Tazawa has pitched well. 1.86 era and a 10 to 1 in strikeouts to walks. Hopefully I am wrong. But I see him being overworked this year.
10. Finally Buchholz. Not a big fan of his. He has great stuff. Can pitch with the best of them, when he is on his game. Has the stuff to be a number 1. But his mound presence bothers me. To me, he doesn't have that mental toughness and confidence to be an ace. He kind of reminds me of a little leaguer who gives up a hit in an inning and he loses his mind. There is an art of being a number 1 guy in a rotation. Which involves many things, and not just throwing the ball. He has had a few years pitching behind number 1 guys to groom himself and prepare himself for taking the next step in being a leader in a rotation. And he hasn't. Will he ? Will the Red Sox wait for that ? I don't know
That's my call
Yes
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