It seems that the Boston Red Sox of yesteryear have long since dissipated into a forgetful memory. The Red Sox, who were division bottom feeders last season have completely transformed from a poorly managed organization into an all around juggernaut that is at top of the toughest division in baseball. Between their high-powered offense and their reinvigorated pitching prowess, the Red Sox have resurrected themselves completely.
Thanks largely in part to the unstoppable Clay Buchholz, the Red Sox have crafted a stingy defense that is capable of wearing down even the most offensively capable teams. Besides his stellar ERA of 1.71, Buchholz has yet to lose a game going 9-0 so far in the season. Since being acquired by the Red Sox in 2007, Buchholz has proven to be a solid pitcher who has the innate intelligence when it comes to throwing the right pitch at the right time. Yet somehow, Buchholz has still managed to raise his game to an elite level and has become one of the most feared pitchers in the majors. In his nine consecutive wins, Buchholz has allowed only one 5 run game while shutting out division opponents Tampa Bay and New York.
Yet, it would be remiss to simply overshadow the monumental successes of the Red Sox offense that has proven to be just as dominant if not more so than their stellar pitching. It’s hard to discuss the Red Sox high-octane offense without first mentioning their designated hitter David Ortiz. Whether the Red Sox win or lose, Ortiz always comes to play with a determined consistency that is hard to combat. His over top RBI of 48 is what makes him a highly dangerous weapon as he almost always is able to get runners in scoring position to their desired destination (He is only behind Chris Davis (52) and Miguel Cabrera (67) in this category). Ortiz’s batting average is also extremely impressive (.324) and is a vast improvement over his career average of .286.
However Ortiz is only one component of what makes the Red Sox flow so dynamically and seamlessly from series to series. Second baseman Dustin Pedroia has also stepped up as a reliable hitter by effectively batting in 35 runs this season. Like Ortiz, Pedroia has made strides to improve his accuracy by increasing his batting average to a .333 over his career average of .305. While these are the main hitters who are the go to offensive weapons of this franchise, nearly any player on the roster is capable of making plays that are just as spectacular and pertinent to the Red Sox deserved success this season.
While these numbers create a vivid picture of how superb this team has been this season, it doesn’t account for the innate tenacity that this organization has quickly become known for. Even when this team is down a few runs in the latter half of games, they still continue to fight and battle for the opportunity to gain just one more win to prove they are the real deal. Every game the Red Sox compete in becomes just another testament to their unwavering consistency and their ability to take on any opponent any time, anywhere. It seems that whenever the Red Sox take to the field they come prepared knowing full well what they are capable of doing to an opponent that underestimates them. With each victory they earn the Red Sox become a potent force that has unbreakable confidence because they come into every game knowing they can handedly win rather than expecting the worst.
Although the road to October is still a long and arduous journey that has yet to unfold, the Red Sox have a great formula in place with which to be supremely successful. If they can continue to implement their best players at the right moments while stifling teams with their oppressive defense, the Boston Red Sox will no doubt be a team that can make an impressive run in the playoffs.