BOSTON — Back in the spring, the starting rotation and bullpen were a puzzle.
Three months ago in Fort Myers, Red Sox skipper Bobby Valentine inherited the task of rummaging through unproven youngsters, cast-off veterans and borderline big leaguers in order to assemble a reputable pitching staff.
Amid all the uncertainty, it appeared that Valentine would need to lean heavily on his cast of All-Stars — Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz and Andrew Bailey — to set the tone.
Fast forward to May 28, when the Red Sox toppled the Tigers 7-4. With Felix Doubront earning his team-leading fifth win and Scott Atchison lowering his ERA to 0.93, it's clear the Red Sox have discovered surprising heroes.
"I thought we were going down to spring training to have an offensive team that would give him a chance to win some games," Valentine said. "But I didn't expect this kind of consistency [from Doubront]. And every time he comes out of the game, he thinks he can pitch more."
Just 48 games into the season, Doubront has emerged as the team's best starter — with a 3.86 ERA — and Atchison has flourished from the bullpen. It's an unpredictable turn of events for Valentine's staff.
During Terry Francona's reign the past two years, Atchison shuttled between Pawtucket and Boston. There wasn't much of a guarantee that he could earn a spot on Valentine's Opening Day roster, either.
At age 36, there appeared to be little upside for Atchison. Yet on Monday afternoon against the Tigers, he stepped in after Doubront and dazzled, striking out four of the six batters he faced.
"I'm here now, doing what I can do, showing what I can do," Atchison said. "That's all I'm thinking about. I'm not worried about what happened the last two years, going up and down. I was fine with that then, and I'm happy with that now, hopefully moving forward."
The rookie has also been a strikeout machine. By racking up six strikeouts in six innings on Monday, Doubront has now fanned 59 batters in 56 innings for an average of 9.48 strikeouts per nine frames.
"I feel like I'm throwing the ball real well and I'm crossing the line to go deep in the games," Doubront said. "Every outing, I'm learning more how to approach the hitters, and [on Monday], I think I was more focused on throwing the ball for strikes and getting the hitters out quickly."
Together, on Monday, Doubront and Atchison shined for the Red Sox. With his two clean innings in relief, Atchison has extended his scoreless streak to 12 games — a career-high — and tossed his team-leading ninth multi-outing game.
"That's who he's been his whole career," catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said of Atchison. "He's been awesome. He's the guy that everybody wants."
He may be the guy everybody wants, but Atchison and Doubront are also the guys nobody expected to carry the Red Sox.
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