Outside of Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz, the starting pitching has been awful

In 39 games played, the pitching rotation has just 18 Quality Starts (6 IP, 3 or less ER) to their credit.  John Lackey has been disappointing thus far, as his strikeout rate (5.58/9 IP) and his strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.48) have been the worst of his career to this point.  In his last 2 starts, he has allowed 11 earned runs in 13 innings, causing his ERA to jump a full run to 4.86.  Not exactly what you’re looking for in your highest paid player.  Josh Beckett has allowed a staggering 52 hits in just 41 innings with a pitiful 7.46 ERA, and Daisuke Matsuzaka is his usual disappointing self, as he has made past the 5^th inning just twice in 4 starts, once of which was against the Baltimore Orioles.

The Offense has been better than expected despite injuries

The Red Sox are 2^nd in the A.L. with 54 HR, and 3^rd in runs scored with 203.  J.D. Drew has been the most productive hitter with 26 RBI, and Adrian Beltre is an unlikely candidate to be leading the team in hitting with a .312 average.  Even David Ortiz is showing signs of life lately with 6 HR in May.  Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis have been their consistent selves. Victor Martinez was moved down to 5^th in the lineup and hit 2 HR last night. Marco Scutaro has been a good leadoff hitter, with a .363 OBP.  Jason Varitek has been good when he’s been asked to spell Martinez.    One would think that Beltre will come back to earth, as his patience at the plate has not been great (8 walks in 149 Plate Appearances), but the offense in general should improve once Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Cameron Return. 

The middle relief has been horrible, but the late inning relief has been solid

Since the starting rotation is rarely going deep into games, the bullpen continues to be tax heavily, which mean that Hideki Okajima and Ramon Ramirez are pitching much more than they should.  Each is sporting an ERA over 6.00, and are both possible candidates to be released at some point should there be more of the same.  Addtionally, left-handed hitters are hitting .346 off “lefty-specialist” Scott Schoenweis.  Things usually don’t bode well for pitchers who are paid to get 1 out a game and can’t do it.  The back end of the bullpen has been solid however, as Daniel Bard has been great, striking out 26 batters in 20 innings.  Despite last night’s rough outing, Jonanthan Papelbon has been good, converting 9 of 10 save opportunities.

So what needs to happen for this team to succeed?  If the starting pitching can come around and get into the 6^th and 7^th innings consistently, the Red Sox can improve.  Once the offense is healthy, they will score more runs, and Ellsbury’s speed will make them more diverse of a threat.   Hopefully by the time these things happen, the Red Sox won’t be 15 games out of first.

Red Sox RP Hideki Okajima

The bullpen woes of the Boston Red Sox have come to the forefront. After their 4-3 loss last night at the hands of the Kansas City Royals, the dependability of the relief staff has come into question.  No Red Sox starting pitcher has figured into a decision yet in the first 4 games of the 2010 regular season. 

Last night’s culprit was Daniel Bard, who was the unfortunate victim of a 2-run broken-bat, bloop single by Royals center fielder Rick Ankiel in the bottom of the 8^th inning which erased the Red Sox’ 3-2 lead, and a quality start by Tim Wakefield.  One of the two runs was charged to Hideki Okajima, whom Bard relieved in the 8^th.  Okajima in his 3 appearances thus far has looked very shaky to start the season, as he has allowed a total of 6 baserunners in just 2 innings of work for a putrid WHIP of 3.00. 

While they have not been too detrimental to the cause as of yet, the fact that the Red Sox brought Scott Atchison back from Japan after a 2-year stint, and picked up lefty-specialist Scott Schoenweis off the scrap heap goes to show that there was not much stock put into improving the bullpen this off season, despite the organization’s mantra of run prevention for 2010.  They have also failed to address the issues regarding Manny Delcarmen, whose velocity is clearly down from past years.  Delcarmen has had arm issues in the past, as he has Tommy John Surgery as a minor leaguer. 

Both John Lackey and Wakefield have posted quality starts with nothing to show for it.  They have done their part in putting the Red Sox in a position to win ballgames.  The Sox have invested a lot of money into their starting rotation recently, but it may as well be a waste if the bullpen cannot support the rotation to help provide it with wins. 

While it is still very early, do not be surprised to see some shakeup in the bullpen.  It is no secret that the Yankees and Rays have superior offenses when compared to the Red Sox.  In the particular case of the Yankees, who are adept at working counts and grinding a starting pitcher into an early exit, the need for a steady bullpen is a necessity.