Red Sox
Boston Red Sox Tickets - Sox Flounder out of the Gates
It still is incredibly early in the season, as any faithful Red Sox fan should note, but something doesn't look quite right in Boston. As of April 19th, the Red Sox were just 4-9 with a bevy of division losses and their hated rivals, the New York Yankees, were sitting comfortably atop the division at 10-3. With the big bats in the Red Sox lineup struggling to get going and a pitching staff that has yet to find a groove, it's time to at least start thinking about the possibility that the Red Sox could be in for a long season.
Every baseball fan should be cautious about making predictions for the rest of the season in April, of course, but that doesn't mean that you should overlook trends beginning to take shape. Before the season even began, many were already wondering whether or not the Red Sox had enough offensive firepower – something they have only added to in their first 13 games of the season.
Despite a hot start by Dustin Pedroia, the Red Sox have had an arduous time scoring runs, mostly due to a complete lack of power in the middle of their lineup. While they previously have been able to rely on David Ortiz for power and last season had Jason Bay in the middle of their lineup, the Red Sox lineup hasn't looked so paltry in quite a long time. Ortiz is off to a rough start and simply doesn't look to be poised for the type of comeback season that Red Sox fans had hoped. Even a modest season of 20 homeruns and 85 RBIs could be too much to ask for the aging former superstar. If his struggles continue, Boston may even have to soon think about taking him out of the lineup. The other players that the Red Sox are relying on for power also haven't gotten the job done thus far. J.D. Drew is off to tougher start than Ortiz and Adrian Beltre seems to be entering the twilight of his career.
This isn't to say that the Red Sox will all of a sudden be at the bottom of the league in terms of scoring runs, though, as they still have plenty of promising players. Pedroia is a great two-hitter and a catalyst toward the top of their lineup. Kevin Youkilis, who is probably their best overall hitter, is off to a slow start but no one thinks that he is suddenly washed up. Victor Martinez is also a 100-RBI guy that now has the most power in the Red Sox lineup and is one of the best hitting catchers in the league. All three will continue to sell <a href="http://www.stubhub.com/boston-red-sox-tickets/">Boston Red Sox tickets</a> at a rapid rate due to their offensive abilities.
The problem with this type of lineup, however, is that it simply cannot compete with the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees if one of the big bats doesn't wake up. The Rays, who recently swept the Red Sox in Fenway, have a deep lineup stacked with power and speed, and even they don't have the best lineup in the division. With a solid combination of power and all-around hitters, you can make the argument that the New York Yankees have the best lineup in the entire league, though the Phillies may have something to say on the matter. While the Red Sox lineup would probably still be enough to compete or win another division, the AL East is simply too strong for the Sox to win if they don't fix their blatant hole in the middle of the lineup.
But this doesn't mean that the Red Sox are going to give up without a fight. Even if Big Papi and J.D. Drew don't turn it around, Boston will almost certainly attract a big bat some time before the trading deadline. Sluggers like Adrian Gonzalez or even Hanley Ramirez could become available and the Red Sox are always one of the leading candidates to bolster their team down the stretch. Though April may not tell us very much about the baseball season, it certainly has brought about some concerns for the Red Sox that will need to be addressed shortly, or they may risk falling well behind the talented Rays and dynamic Yankees.
About the Author
<a href="http://www.stubhub.com/">StubHub</a> has sponsored this article, which was written by David James. Stubhub.com is one of the leaders in the business of selling <a href="http://www.stubhub.com/boston-red-sox-tickets/">Boston Red Sox tickets</a>, sports tickets, concert tickets, theatre tickets, or even special events tickets.
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