David Ortiz and the Boston Red Sox are off to a slow start in 2010.
While the Boston Red Sox, among others, have struggled out of the gate, there have also been a few surprises on the other end of the spectrum.
The Good
Happy Days Are Back in Oakland
Remember when the A’s had more talented pitchers than they had room for, when the likes of Tim Hudson, Barry Zito (when he was good), Mark Mulder (when he was healthy), Ted Lilly, Dan Haren, Rich Harden, and Joe Blanton – not all at one time, of course – were a part of Oakland staffs that helped the A’s be at the top of the AL West for the early part of the last decade?
Well, Brett Anderson, Justin Duchscherer, Dallas Braden, Ben Sheets, Dallas Braden, and Gio Gonzalez are thus far conjuring up memories of the good ol’ days in Oakland.
Anderson’s loss to the Orioles today was the first by an Oakland starter today, as their five-man rotation of three youngsters and healthy-again veterans Duchscherer and Sheets was 6-0 coming into today, helping the 9-5 A‘s jump to the top of the AL West standings early on.
So can the A’s be a legitimate threat in the AL West for the long haul? Well, that will depend not only on the rotation continuing to be strong, but also so on the bats and the bullpen.
Oakland’s bats are producing a little over four runs per game on average, and the bullpen has been responsible for four losses already, and those two areas are going to have to step up, because as talented as their rotation is, there will be more than a few bad starts along the way.
The Bad
The Un-Friendly Confines of Fenway
After being swept by the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend in the first three games of their four-game set against the Rays, the Boston Red Sox are now 1-5 at home to start the season. If you’re searching for MLB tickets in hopes of seeing the Red Sox at Fenway sometime soon, that number might make you want to wait, or at least avoid the series involving the better teams on their schedule. The only series win that the 4-8 Sox have on their ledger right now is a two of three showing at Kansas City, and that’s nothing to write home about. Their others? Dropping two of three at home to the Yankees – after winning the series opener, dropping two of three at Minnesota – including an 8-0 loss in the series finale, and now this weekend’s sweep at the hands of Tampa Bay, in which the Red Sox bats were only awake for all of one inning, and that proved to be for naught. Perhaps a win in tomorrow’s finale against the Rays could well kickstart things for the Sox, as this is the start of a ten-game homestand which sees Texas and Baltimore come to town after the Rays leave. The pitching has had its struggles, the bats are not performing at the expected level, and all in all, it’s just not a pretty sight to see the Red Sox play right now. It is only a matter of time before the ship gets righted, because this team is too talented to stink for too long. But considering that their schedule is anything but chock full of patsies, the sooner they stop stinkin’ up the joint, the better. What’s Going On in the Windy City? Well, not a lot, on either side. The White Sox, who are 4-9 after being swept in Cleveland, have scored four or less runs in nine of their 13 games this season and are barely above the Mendoza line at the plate as a team. On the pitching side, Gavin Floyd is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA through three starts, Jake Peavy is winless in his first three starts, and Freddy Garcia, well, it’s not 2006 anymore. As for the Cubbies, well, there’s only so much that can be said when you lose a series at home to a team who came in 1-8. The Cubs beat on Milwaukee’s pitching staff (out of necessity), but outside of that spurt, they’ve been a sight for sore eyes just as much as the White Sox. As much talent as both Chicago teams have, there’s no reason why they should struggle. Alas, there are some things that just defy logic, and that’s one of them. The Ugly
Oh Theo, wherefore art thou, Theo?