Red Sox Search for Positives After Stumbling to Worst Start in 15 Years

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Apr 3, 2011

Red Sox Search for Positives After Stumbling to Worst Start in 15 Years The Red Sox probably didn’t expect to be searching high and low for positives just three games into the season, but after a losing weekend against the thunderous Texas Rangers, that’s about all they can do.

Doing so would involve ignoring the fact that the Rangers just hit 11 home runs, more than the Red Sox have allowed in their first three games of a season since 1919, which is as far back as the records go. It would involve ignoring the fact that the high-powered Boston offense was limited to three runs in its final 14 innings at the plate in Arlington. One would have to turn a blind eye on lost leads in the first two games and a finale that saw Boston waste a late scoring opportunity that could’ve altered the outcome. Nobody will also notice that Red Sox starters struck out only six men in three games.

Finally, they won’t be able to shed light on the fact that Boston is off to its worst start since 1996, when it went 0-5.

However, since it’s only April 3 and the spring still contains plenty of promise, there has to be a few reasons to feel better about the state of baseball in New England. It’s far too easy to sit back and say that things didn’t go well in Texas this weekend.

Leading the way in that rather arduous pursuit is Clay Buchholz, who did only give up five hits in his six innings of work. Turn your back on the fact that four of the hits were solo homers and enjoy what was the best start of the weekend for the Sox.

“I felt good,” Buchholz said. “I don’t think these guys missed a mistake pitch in 27 innings. It’s a tough one but I think I’ll definitely learn something from it.”

Considering Buchholz is just two outings removed from essentially throwing batting practice in a four-inning, 11-run appearance against the Florida Marlins in Grapefruit League play, it has to be considered a step in the right direction.

The same could be said for Carl Crawford, who looked lost at the plate in the first two games of the season but had two hits — both off left-hander Matt Harrison — and his first RBI in a Red Sox uniform after being dropped to seventh in the order for Sunday’s affair.

“The ball he hit down the left-field line for his first hit, he didn’t hit it hard, but you could just see him loosen up after that,” manager Terry Francona said. “Then his next swing, the base hit into center, that was more him … you’ll see him relax now.”

Perhaps the whole team can do so now that the schedule offers up an opportunity to feel a bit better about things. Not only is the Texas series done, but Boston gets a day off before playing three in Cleveland. While the Red Sox are now 2-10 in Arlington over the last three years, they have gone 36-22 when visiting the Indians since 1997.

And while the Nos. 4 and 5 starters — Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka — go in the first two games at Progressive Field, they were the two that finished spring training on the best note and both dominated Cleveland in 2010. They were a combined 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA and gave up only 12 hits in 24 innings vs. Cleveland. Perhaps their momentum, their opponents and the fact that the team has 24 hours to try to digest what just occurred in Texas, will help settle things down.

One of the more quietly confident members of the clubhouse seems to think so.

“I think a day off is good, we can just kind of regroup and come back in Cleveland and play the way we know we can,” said Adrian Gonzalez, another bright spot who went 5-for-14 in his first series with the Red Sox. “I’m confident that we’re going to come back and do our thing.”

That 1996 team that stumbled out of the gate didn’t do its thing until bottoming out at 6-19 on April 28. It had the best record in the American League East after that date and the best record in all of baseball after the All-Star break. Sure, it wasn’t enough to avoid a third-place finish, but the current edition has no plans on digging itself into a hole that deep.

If it does, then finding the positives will be downright impossible.

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