The 2020 Major League Baseball season was anything but normal. And for the Boston Red Sox, they had a lot of voids to fill.
The Red Sox rotation was slim with the loss of Eduardo Rodriguez and Chris Sale. The offense couldn't seem to click with J.D. Martinez struggling, while Rafael Devers struggled on defense thanks in part to an ankle injury.
It was a season the team is happy to put in the rearview mirror.
Now the Red Sox are 8-3 after beginning the 2021 campaign 0-3 and everything seems to be gelling. Rodriguez looks good, Matt Barnes almost is unhittable, the offense appears to be back and they are atop the American League East standings.
Nathan Eovaldi, who went 4-2 with a 3.72 ERA in 2020, notices differences between the last two seasons. But one in particular really stands out.
"For me, it's the pitching staff," he said after Boston's 3-2 win over the Minnesota Twins. "We had to fill in a lot of holes."
Rodriguez was lost due to myocarditis, while Sale underwent Tommy John surgery. Josh Taylor also missed time with shoulder tendinitis, and Darwinzon Hernandez suffered a sprained SC joint.
Eovaldi now is 2-1 with 2.08 ERA through three starts. And even though Sale won't join the Red Sox until later this season, the pitching certainly has given fans reason to be optimistic.
