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Boston Red Sox Dustin Pedroia: Another one bites the dust

By Darrell Samuels

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May 26, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia (15) throws the ball to first base after mis-handling the ball in the fourth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. The Twins won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

To say things are not going well in Boston is probably the understatement of the season almost 3 months into the 162 game grind. The Red Sox are currently occupying the basement of the American League East with no Eastern teams looking to join them.

The season has not gone well at all for the home team at Fenway Park. There appears to be a never ending dark cloud over John Farrell’s future in Boston as manager of the floundering ball club. Earlier this year, he had a public spat with his starting pitcher Wade Miley, during a game at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Also, designated hitter David Ortiz has not had a typical productive season that Red Sox faithful have become accustomed to seeing.

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Each visit to the plate fans would relish the thought of ‘Big Papi’ hitting a homerun. The homerun hit by Ortiz, would either give them a win or bring them back into the ballgame. Newly acquired third baseman Pablo Sandoval signed as a free agent after being a member of the World Series winning San Francisco Giants last season. However, he has been involved in off the field activities on the east coast. That type of behavior has not gone over well in his early tenure in Boston.

Left fielder Hanley Ramirez, who signed as a free agent last winter from the Los Angeles Dodgers, has been productive at the plate but has been a train wreck with his fielding for the Bo-Sox. This week Ramirez sustained an injury after his teammate Xander Bogaerts’ line drive struck him on the left wrist. There is no word yet if a trip to the disabled list is in Ramirez’s future.

If all of these stories were not bad enough, the Red Sox suffered another pitfall in their quest to get out of the basement and back into the competition of the American League East. The team’s star second baseman, Dustin Pedroia, suffered a right hamstring strain this week. He was recently placed on the disabled list.

Well, early indications are that Pedroia could be out of the lineup for three weeks. He could return after the MLB All-Star game in the middle of July at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. Losing his potent bat at the top of the lineup is a bad sign for the direction of how the rest of the season may play out for Red Sox Nation. Pedroia already has 86 hits for the team, .306 batting average, nine home runs and 33 RBI’s.

If Pedroia was an NFL football player playing for the New England Patriots, he’d be loved even more. He is always giving 100%, sliding in the dirt ready to make that fantastic play, while wearing his heart on his sleeve. He is the Red Sox’ Tom Brady.

Losing Pedroia could be tragic if he is out later than the All-Star Break. However, Red Sox players could be sacrificed if the playoffs are so far out of sight for the team. Veterans could be shipped out. Boston could go on a tweaking approach signing free agents this winter, replacing the veterans traded this year, with the hopes of competing again in 2016.

The Red Sox have already dug themselves into a pretty deep hole. They were trying to climb out of it before this latest injury. Now that Pedroia will be out at least three weeks, there is a good chance the Red Sox can fall even further behind and put themselves in a true point of no escape.

On paper, this batting lineup should be pretty good. However, their pitching has been terrible! Rick Porcello only has 4 wins to his record and an ERA of 5.61. Justin Masterson’s ERA is worse than Porcello at 6.37. The pitching staff currently sits with the third worst ERA, in the Majors, at 4.43. The team has found the need to rely heavily on Ortiz and Pedroia’s potent bats, as well as Ramirez and Sandoval, to win games. That’s not going to cut it!

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It’s not been all doom and gloom for their future! They have put some youngsters in their lineup on given days. Super utility man Brock Holt is still their bright light for the future of the historic ball club. The man can play all positions with the exception of pitcher and catcher. He’s been a beacon of hope in this season and will probably play strictly second base in Pedroia’s absence.

Rookie second baseman/outfielder Mookie Betts has been a solid producer on the bases. Xander Bogaerts has also proven that he can handle the shortstop role in Fenway. Bogaerts’ play has shown, at least early in his career, that it could be equal to the likes of former great Nomar Garciaparra.

The Red Sox have been an embarrassment this season as it appears that nothing has gone right for the team. Fans and media are longing for ownership to cut ties with either General Manager Ben Cherington or Manager John Farrell. They want change and they want it now!

Next: Just play ball, Big Papi!

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