Maybe the Red Sox' nightmarish opening series with the Texas Rangers will quickly erase the fantasies of some overly optimistic fans about the team winning 100 games or more in 2011. The Rangers not only swept the Red Sox, but pulverized the much-heralded Sox starting pitchers. The Rangers got 34 hits, including 21 extra base hits and 11 home runs in the three-game sweep. The Rangers outscored the Red Sox 26-11 over the series.
Amidst the negative signs, there were a few positive developments too, particularly the solid start of new slugger Adrian Gonzalez and the surprising two home runs from David Ortiz, who has struggled so much in the first month or two of the past two seasons.
The following are the highlights of my impressions of the Red Sox performance after three games:
Jon Lester simply didn't have his good stuff in the season opener. However, it was very unusual that he didn't strike out one batter. He hadn't done that since sometime in 2008. The most important point about Lester's start was the unusually low velocity of his fastball.
He threw many fastballs at 90 or 91 mph and virtually none at 93 to 95 mph. Normally, Lester's speed is higher and you could just tell from watching that his fastball lacked the same zip. My guess is Lester will be able to increase his velocity, but, this is an issue worth watching and at least a temporary cause for concern.
David Ortiz, by hitting two bombs this quickly, might avoid the obnoxious scrutiny or criticism from Boston baseball writers and fans back at Fenway Park. That, in turn, might help Ortiz to perform better and hit even more home runs in April and May. Big Papi has been really bothered by the negative attention he had to endure in early 2009 and 2010, when he slumped so badly.
Adrian Gonzalez not only got some solid hits in the first two games vs. the Rangers, but he looked so good doing so that it must have reassured fans across New England.
Gonzalez showed his impressive ability to wait until the last fraction of a second before he swings the bat. He watches ball all the way, as the game's best hitters do. I saw one time when he decided to swing at the last second and fouled the ball off to the left—and I was impressed by the foul ball!
Jacoby Ellsbury had some good moments in the leadoff position, especially in the first game. He had some good swings and stole some bases, and, actually, took a few pitches.
There were overreactions to Carl Crawford's tough time at the plate against Texas lefthander C.J. Wilson in the first game. Crawford looked bad on a couple of strikeouts vs. Wilson, but Wilson is a damned good pitcher who often makes lefthanded hitters look bad.
Yet, the Boston Globe, for example, chose to run a separate column/story on Crawford's difficult first day. Then, Sox manager Terry Francona moved Crawford to the No. 7 spot in the batting order for Game 3 of the series to take some pressure off Crawford.
I was puzzled. I just didn't think there was a need for this dramatic a move. I'm glad to see Francona do it, in a way, because he needs to be more bold and creative, generally. However, Crawford will be fine, and I hope he doesn't get more worried about a slow start because of Francona's move. Crawford did get two hits Sunday, so, maybe Francona's instincts were right.
John Lackey, who gave up nine runs in Saturday night's game, looked familiarly bad. That's perhaps the most disturbing given his poor 2010 and his struggles in spring training.
Once again, Lackey didn't seem able to throw his fastball by hitters and he seems to lack confidence in his fastball at key moments. He often throws his curve ball at those times, and, sometimes, hitters whack his curve around too. He seemed to hang a few on Saturday.
Lackey is never going to look like an ace. He doesn't deserve a $20 million annual salary. The question is whether he can regularly give the team a decent six innings and a chance to win. Last year, and on this past Saturday, Lackey has failed to do even that.
Jonathan Papelbon had a typically adventurous appearance at the end of Sunday's game. He came in and gave up a double, hit a batter, gave up another double and then struck out three good Ranger hitters. While it was not a good outing, there were hopeful signs there.
First, Papelbon threw a few well-placed fastballs that were at 94 or 95 mph, but, more importantly, they seemed to have some decent movement on them. He also mixed in his slider a few times and at least one split-fingered fastball. If Papelbon can retain the late life on his fastball, it will likely have a huge impact on the Red Sox' fortunes in 2011.
Daniel Bard imploded in the Saturday game. He got hit very hard, but to me, this is a reminder to Red Sox Nation that Bard is still a kid, and will likely have ups and downs in 2011. He'll still be a damned good setup pitcher.
Jarrod Saltalamachia caught all three games and left me wondering, just a little bit, if he's calling the right pitches all the time. I believe the pitchers were 90 percent responsible for their sub-par performances, but I am curious if Jason Varitek had been playing, would anything about the Sox pitching and Ranger hitting looked at all different? I think it's possible, but I think we have to give Salty a chance.
The mere presence of Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis back in the lineup made me feel better about the 2011 Red Sox. I liked seeing Pedroia react angrily to an umpire's call because Pedroia thought he had tagged a runner out—even though the runner was safe. The Red Sox need some fire back and Pedey contributes in that area.
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