The Boston Red Sox
June is coming fast, and as we move farther into the summer, baseball is at its best. The northeast has embraced the usual Yankees/Red Sox rivalry and all the religious fervor that goes along with it, and so we review the Sox’ season so far.
At 27-18, the Sox are a game up on the Yankees for control of the AL East. With strong bats and thus far adequate pitching, Boston has put itself in a good position to earn its first regular season pennant since 1995. Please, I ask you to knock on wood, but let’s look at the rest of the division. Unlike last year, where through 45 games they were 4 games ahead, Baltimore
is doing its normal crashing and burning. They’ve give up the league’s second most runs at 273 (only the pitiful Royals who as of tonight have lost their last 13 games have surrendered more runs), and just can’t seem to get the offensive production they need to catch up. On the other hand, both the Yankees and Toronto have been surprises.
Yes, the Blue Jays went out and spent a lot of money during the off season, and yes, they expected to see some results. With the likes of Troy Glaus, Vernon Wells, and a fantastic Alex Rios in their lineup, they’ve hit like crazy. On the other side, they have a now-healthy Roy Halladay, and an almost perfect B.J. Ryan on their pitching staff (c’mon folks, he has 11 saves and an ERA of 0.42). This interesting mixture of old and young has yielded some success as they’re only two and a half games out of first. With a healthy pitching staff and a little bit of luck, I see this team as a very capable opponent, one nearly as deadly as the Yankees – but not quite.
Despite the loss of slugger Hideki Matsui, and key injuries that could cost Gary Sheffield and the traitorous Johnny Damon some playing time, the Bronx Bombers have kept stride with the Sox. The Yanks just took two out of three at Fenway, and have managed to score enough runs to make up for average pitching. With fireballer Randy Johnson self-destructing in addition to a number of other players under-producing, one wonders why Steinbrenner spends $200 million a year on these guys. However, New York’s saving graces have been a steroid-free Jason Giambi, a fresh-faced Melky Cabrera, and the legendary Derek Jeter. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Sox fan born and raised, but Jeter is a hard-nosed player, the equivalent of our Jason Varitek. While I may not like the fact that the guy kicks our ass every year, I damn well respect him for doing what he does and doing so in a manner that is much classier than a Bonds, an A-Rod, or even a Manny Ramirez.
Now for the Sox: Many people didn’t think they could measure up to their success the past few years. A good friend of mine almost bet me twenty bucks they wouldn’t win 95 games, and now I’m sore that I didn’t take him up on it. The fact of the matter is, we’re scoring more runs and our pitching is just as solid as it was last year. Perhaps the biggest of the changes has come in just that area: Clement is his old self again, not the super star that he miraculously transformed into last season, though Schilling has again fallen into the middle-aged workhorse position. Beckett, however, was a find. The hard-throwing right-hander is a steal at $4.3 million, and is now 6-1 after shutting down the Devil Rays tonight. He is easily good for another ten or twelve wins, and his ERA should float just under four, if he stays healthy. Wakefield is the same average pitcher with his crazy knuckleball – though he could win a few more if the Sox would punch out more runs when he starts (they’ve scored, on average, just less than three a game when he makes an appearance). Jonathan Papelbon, however, has been their saving grace. The kid throws about a thousand miles an hour, has an interesting breaking changeup, and willingly carries the load as the closer, surrendering a single run the entire year. He’s converted sixteen saves on seventeen tries, and has a god-like ERA of 0.36. Hot damn.
Boston has markedly improved in the field (they’re statistically first in fielding), and when David Ortiz and Jason Varitek remember how to hit again (they’re batting .265 and .228, respectively), I think the Sox will be winning seven out of every ten. Willy Mo Pena has a lot of growing up to do, but I definitely support the trade that brought him to Boston in exchange for curveballer Bronson Arroyo, despite Arroyo’s 6-2, 2.29 ERA start. The old Boston thrower will eventually cool off and begin pitching like he used to, which is to say, simply above average. Hell, the Sox were about to put him in their bullpen, and he goes out and starts 6-2? It’s a fluke. Willy Mo’s .324 average, on the contrary, is no mistake, and he’s only 24. Next year he’ll look great in Trot Nixon’s old right field, and hopefully he’ll be a weapon in the lineup for years to come.
My MVP as of right now, though, would have to go to Kevin Youkilis. So maybe he’s not the reason we’re a game up on the Yanks, but he’s done a heck of a job at the top of the lineup. He’s anything but a conventional lead off hitter, but Youk consistently gets the hits where they are needed, and his glove has been a pleasant surprise – any Red Sox highlight reel will agree.
So, reviewing the Boston Red Sox, 45 games deep in the 2006 campaign, I like what I’m seeing. In all categories we’re solid, and while the competition is only getting tougher, I predict that we’ll be sitting on top of the AL East come September. Lofty expectations? Yes, to say the least. However, it comes not only from this bleeding Boston heart of mine, but it’s also in the stats. With Steinbrenner threatening to rebuild the Evil Empire on the whim of an endless wallet, this may be the best chance we’ll have for a number of years. That’s why I’m calling 98 wins and first place in the East. World Series? We’ll see about that when September comes.
