For the first time in over two weeks, the Boston Red Sox can exhale.
The Red Sox are idle Monday, ending a stretch of 17 consecutive days of baseball dating to April 7. It’s been an eventful 17 days, too, starting with a roller-coaster loss to the Detroit Tigers and ending with Sunday’s drama-filled win over the Baltimore Orioles.
The excitement will continue this week with home series against the rival New York Yankees and World Series champion Chicago Cubs on the docket. But before we look ahead, let’s use Boston’s brief break to hit the reset button on a club that’s gone through a lot in the first three weeks of the season.
Here are our biggest takeaways for the 11-8 Red Sox, who enter Monday third in the American League East.
1. These guys just can’t stay healthy.
First, it was the flu. Then, it was Jackie Bradley Jr.’s bizarre baserunning incident. This weekend, it was Dustin Pedroia getting spiked by Manny Machado. It seems like the Red Sox haven’t played a single game at full strength this season, which isn’t far from the truth: Mitch Moreland is the only Boston player who has appeared in all 19 games. With the exception of David Price, most of Boston’s injuries have been minor. But these small setbacks still have prevented the Sox from finding their groove and playing to their full potential.
2. Chris Sale has been an absolute stud.
Sale somehow has been even better than advertised, carrying the Red Sox’s rotation with a sparkling 0.91 ERA and major league-best 42 strikeouts through four outings. A dearth of run support has left him with just one win to date, but you could argue that not since Pedro Martinez has a Boston pitcher’s starts generated this much buzz.
3. The rest of the rotation — not so much.
Rick Porcello has had a tough time defending his AL Cy Young Award, allowing 14 total runs over his last three appearances. Steven Wright has surrendered four or more runs in all but one start to date. Eduardo Rodriguez pitched a gem Sunday but still is struggling with control. In short: The Red Sox’s rotation outside Sale has been decidedly mediocre through three weeks. Getting Price back should help, and Drew Pomeranz has been a decent No. 5 starter. But Boston needs a lot more from this staff — especially Wright — if it wants to win another AL East crown.
4. The Red Sox are “powerless” without David Ortiz.
No, not in the literal sense. But in their first season without a man who slugged 541 career home runs, the Boston enters Monday ranked dead last in baseball with just 11 homers in 19 games. Coincidence? We think not. The long balls will come, but the 2017 Red Sox won’t be bashing their way to nearly as many victories this season. Instead, expect a lineup still well-stocked with strong hitters — Andrew Benintendi is batting .347 through 18 games and looks like the total package —Â to rely on average and a bit more speed to get its runs across.
5. The bullpen still is a work in progress.
With Tyler Thornburg and Carson Smith still on the shelf, Boston’s bullpen looks a lot like it did last year. Craig Kimbrel has looked much better in 2017 but still is prone to random bouts of wildness, and manager John Farrell has used a revolving door of setup men in the eighth inning. If Thornburg can return soon and be effective, he’ll provide some much-needed stability to this unit.
Thumbnail photo via Mitch Stringer/USA TODAY Sports Images
