Red Sox Bullpen Without Andrew Bailey Gets a ‘Thumbs Down’ in First Series of Season

The Red Sox learned the hard way over the weekend in Detroit what uncertainty in the bullpen can do to a baseball team. The Sox' relief corps had a brutal opening series, and the result was a three-game weekend sweep at the hands of the Tigers.

The Boston pen struggled to execute all weekend, but many of the problems can be traced back to the injured thumb of expected closer Andrew Bailey. The Oakland exile would have at least helped the Sox' relievers to define their bullpen roles, but in his absence, Bobby Valentine has had to adjust on the fly.

That, of course, has not gone very well through three games.