Boston Red Sox: Poor start should be a concern to fans
By Joe Wedra
Apr 21, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Clay Buchholz (11) pitches during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Red Sox have had their fair share of struggles in the young 2014 season, and while many will argue that it’s too early to tell how teams will fare, the team’s poor start should be a concern to the fans in Boston. The “Fenway Faithful” might be sticking with their team, but the attitude around those fans is surely one that is not confident.
The AL East
The Red Sox will have a chance against an AL East that has shown to be much less than average thus far. The New York Yankees have a series of issues, the Baltimore Orioles are still without Manny Machado, and injuries have riddled the Tampa Bay Rays’ roster. Boston should have a chance at winning some big AL East games, but they won’t have the success they want if they can’t iron out a few issues throughout the roster.
Pitching struggles
As strong as the back-end of the Boston bullpen is, there have been a few starters that have been off their game. Felix Doubront and Clay Buchholz are a combined 1-7 and both have an ERA of 6.00 or above. In nine combined starts, the two starters have allowed a whopping 63 hits and 14 walks. To make things worse, John Lackey is allowing more than a hit per inning and about a run every other inning. His current ERA is 4.22.
Poor play within the lineup
The Red Sox will be looked upon as a team that should score a lot of runs, but there are a few parts on the offense that have under-performed. Here are a few notable numbers:
Daniel Nava: .149 average, 17 strikeouts
Jackie Bradley Jr.: .206 average, 22 strikeouts
Grady Sizemore: .212 average
Mike Napoli: 27 strikeouts in 22 games
While the offense hasn’t been as bad as the starting pitching, there are definitely areas of concern regarding offensive production. As far as Boston Red Sox fans’ hope for the season, another World Series title has to be the last thing on their minds.
Will they give up too many runs to compete? Will strikeouts on offense doom them? We’ll find out some big things in the upcoming stretch of games.