First half not a total Disaster
I had hoped to write an All-star Break post earlier this week. Frankly, I didn't have the heart for it. Getting the snot beat out of us by the Yankees (and that's what it was folks, a beat down by a division leader against an also-ran), left we with a few thoughts.
1) The Yankees are way, way, better than the Sox right now.
2) Who are these guys?
3) We aren't winning the division.
When I review my "optimistic" division standings from the beginning of the year, the only thing it looks like I got right was that the win totals in the division coming down. The division is brutal. And when you get down to it, the Sox can't beat their rivals. They can't beat the Rays, the Yanks, or the Birds. They have posted a division worse 14-19 against the east, with no more games against the NL to fatten up their win totals. They are 9.5 games back, and I just don't see how they climb to the top spot from here - even with remarkable health and production - against these clubs.
Wildcard Offers Little Solace this Year
And I don't want to hear about the Wildcard. With a one game playoff, you've got about 50% chance of going to the playoffs from that point. It's really not even worth getting your hopes up about anything until you get past that one game, because in today's MLB, anyone can beat anyone in one game. With this game right at the end of the season, it could be a Franklin Morales vs. Justin Verlander game. Or Clay Mortensen. Or anybody against a burned out bullpen (on either side). That game is simply a toss up.
How does the Pitching Get Better?
It seems pretty well decided that the Sox's issues lie mostly with the starting pitching. It's hard to see how that's not the case, with no starters ERA really impressing anyone at this juncture. The Sox seem to be playing every game from behind. We are still left with Why, and I keep looking to the same questions that we had in April: 1) Is it the loss of Tek? 2) Have other teams brought better, younger arms to their clubs while ours have slipped? 3) Is the preparation not there? 4) Are they just not in shape the way they need to be to compete?
We'll only know what the issue is when it gets fixed. It sure doesn't look fixed to me though, and I have very little hope that we're looking at a statistical anomaly that will right itself in the second half. I think we're going to see more of the same.
Are the Red Sox playing for Next Year?
although I did here some of the fellows pointing out that the Sox offense has largely been front runners - they pound pitchers having a bad night, but the day-to-day production has been sorely lacking. What that means to me is that they have a line-up full of holes - guys that can be gotten out when they need to be gotten out - by many major league pitchers. They aren't able to wear out pitchers the way we're used to seeing, and it's showing up in the box score. There is some hope that this will get fixed, that Gonzales will heat up, that Ellsbury will contribute, that Pedroia will get healthy, that Middlebrooks will return and keep thumping. But it just seems that everytime they get a body back, they lose another one (or two). I'm not sure why these guys can't stay on the field, but they just can't - and until we get SOME level of continuity, I feel like we're just having extended trading auditions for some of the minor league prospects.
