That was interesting.
The Red Sox began their 10-game road trip against the Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners sitting two games under .500 (13-15). They’ll return home to Fenway Park in the same state (18-20), as Boston went 5-5 during the excursion, which ended Sunday with a 5-0 loss at Safeco Field.
There were no shortage of developments — both negative and positive — during the so-so voyage. The results pose the ultimate “glass half-full or glass half-empty” scenario, so let’s assess the good and the bad as the Red Sox head into Monday’s off-day before starting a five-game homestand Tuesday.
Three positives
Rotation Refinement
The Red Sox didn’t make any major changes to their rotation, with the exception of placing Justin Masterson on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis. The unit has been much improved under the guidance of new pitching coach Carl Willis, though, which definitely is something to build on.
Boston’s team ERA was 5.04 at the time Willis was hired May 9. It sits at 4.64 at the conclusion of the road trip, which obviously is a drastic improvement, especially when one considers that both Clay Buchholz and Joe Kelly looked as good as they have all season in their most recent starts.
The Red Sox entered the season feeling like their pitching just needed to provide quality innings and that their offense would take care of the rest. Well, the rotation finally is holding up its end of the bargain.
Koji’s Mojo
The haters have gone silent.
There was a point a few weeks ago when some started to question the Red Sox’s decision to sign closer Koji Uehara to a two-year, $18 million contract over the offseason. That bickering is becoming even harder to justify now that Uehara is back to his usual dominant self.
Uehara saved all four of his chances on Boston’s road trip while tossing 4 2/3 shutout innings. The 40-year-old didn’t surrender a hit, and opposing hitters now are 0-for-23 against Uehara since his blown save in Baltimore on April 25.
Glove Love
The Red Sox committed just two errors during their 10-game trip. Both came in their 7-1 loss to the Blue Jays on May 9.
The work of Boston’s middle infield was especially impressive. Everyone knows about second baseman Dustin Pedroia’s defense — he’s a four-time Gold Glove winner — but shortstop Xander Bogaerts is head and shoulders above where he was as a defender last season.
“He’s come a long way, considering where we were a year ago at this time,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said before Sunday’s game. “The confidence with which he’s playing, his quickness has improved.
“That may be the result of being more relaxed at the position. His reactions are more free. He’s made a number of different types of plays — coming in on balls, diving plays to his glove side. He’s done a very good job defensively.”
There was a time when it looked like Bogaerts’ long-term future might reside at third base. That’s no longer the case, as he has more than held his own this season, committing just two errors.
Credit first baseman Mike Napoli, too, for not letting his offensive woes impact his steady D.
Three negatives
Barren Bats
What happened to the Red Sox’s offense?
The Red Sox were shut out in the first game and the last game of the road trip. They scored 23 runs in the 10 games, adding to what has been a dismal month at the dish. Boston now ranks near the bottom of the league in several offensive categories.
The Red Sox enter Monday’s off-day ranked 29th in batting average (.229), 25th in OPS (.671) and 20th in runs scored (151). They’ve been especially bad against left-handers, hitting a major league-worst .193 with a 27th-ranked .618 OPS.
This, from a team that’s supposed to be built on its offense? Not going to cut it, and the Red Sox know it.
Managerial Mishap
There’s only so much a manager can do when the players aren’t executing. And right now, the Red Sox’s struggles fall mostly on the shoulders of those not producing at the plate — pretty much everyone.
But Farrell took the heat for Friday night’s loss after what he described as a “terrible decision” in the ninth inning. When you combine that mishap with the inability to find a successful offensive formula, then yeah, the skipper is open to some criticism, too.
Faulty Foundation
No, we’re not talking about any issues with Boston’s franchise cornerstones. The fact Pedroia and David Ortiz called a team meeting early in the road trip further validates their leadership, if anything.
Instead, we’re talking about the inability to establish consistency. Every time it looked like the Red Sox were constructing a solid foundation on which to build, it ended up crumbling a short time later.
The Red Sox have been under .500 since their May 3 loss to the New York Yankees.
Thumbnail photo via Jennifer Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports Images
