Don't Call It A Comeback

The west coast road trip seemed to invigorate the Sox. They won 5 of the 6 games on the left coast including their first four-game sweep on the road over the Angels since 1980 (I was -9 years old). The pitching has been stellar, and at times the offense showed signs of breaking out. The offense isn't there yet but there has been improvement.

The batting average has jumped up to .239 (still not very good). They have climbed the ladder (now in top 15 in runs scored) because of the at-bats they are putting together. The Sox (led by Youk) are tied with the Mariners as the best in baseball at drawing walks. This is giving them plenty of chances to drive in runs.

The pitching...simply amazing. You can't expect this current streak to continue, but their ERA has lowered from 6.77 to 4.50. A SIGNIFICANT improvement. The starters are going deep into games and the bullpen has been very well rested. Also, Jonathan Papelbon is looking a lot more like the guy of old...and not the one from the last 2 seasons (ironic that it happens in a contract year). Buchholz has really been the only guy that still appears to be laboring out there...but don't expect Dice-K to keep this up. Lackey on the other hand seems to have a nastiness on the mound to him as of late...and Beckett went into a hot-tub time machine to 2007.

The Sox will have three in Baltimore against the Birds and three back at the fens against Seattle. Let's take a look at how they stack up...

The Orioles (8-12 5th AL East) are the worst pitching staff that the Sox will have faced so far this season. Although, the Sox will see their 2 best, including young lefty Zach Britton who could give them fits as well as the consistent Jeremy Guthrie. Later on in the game, the O's turn to Koji Uehara and Mike Gonzalez (lefty) to set up for Kevin Gregg. This is a bullpen that can be smacked around. The Sox should really look to work counts and get guys like Britton and Guthrie out ASAP.

Their offense is also nothing to write home about. A .230 team batting average. They are in the top 10 in home runs but are dead last in both walks and stolen bases, which are very good indicators for the Red Sox. Their best hitter, average wise is Brian Roberts (hitting just .279), he also leads them with 15 RBI. And at the plate the power is more diverse than usual. Adam Jones is their leader with 4 big flies, but don't forget about Vlad Guerrero and Mark Reynolds (who either strikes out or hits it out it seems).

The Mariners (8-15 4th in AL West) are the worst offensive team in the American League...it seems they always are. They are not a threat for the long ball, and their main weapon is getting on base via the walk, tied as best in the bigs with the Sox. They do run often, good enough for top 10 in baseball, led by Ichiro (8 steals) and they also have Chone Figgins. Ichiro is also far and away their best hitter (.309) but watch out for 1B Justin Smoak who is swinging the bat a lot better. No one on the team has more than 3 HRs.

The pitching is more formidable. The Sox will see the reigning AL Cy Young Winner Felix Hernandez, who is off to a somewhat slow start but always seems to raise his game against the Red Sox. Fans should be disappointed they don't get the treat of seeing M's stud rookie Michael Pineda who has electric stuff. The M's staff has done a nice job keeping the ball in the yard (although that could be attributed to the park they play in). The bullpen is also an adventure for Seattle. Closer Brandon League (Sox fans may remember from Toronto) is a perfect 5-for-5 in save chances, but other than that who knows. The veteran Jamey Wright, Chris Ray, and lefty Aaron Laffey will be seen near the end.

The Sched:

 at Orioles (3 games)
Tues: RHP Clay Buchholz (1-2 5.31 ERA) vs. LHP Zach Britton (3-1 3.16 ERA)
Wed: RHP Josh Beckett (2-1 1.93 ERA) vs. RHP Jeremy Guthrie (1-3 3.12 ERA)
Thur: LHP Jon Lester (2-1 2.59 ERA) vs. RHP Brad Bergeson (0-3 5.40 ERA)

vs. Mariners (3 games)
Fri: LHP Jason Vargas (0-2 5.53 ERA) vs. RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (2-2 4.09 ERA)
Sat: RHP Doug Fister (1-3 3.19 ERA) vs. RHP John Lackey (2-2 6.35 ERA)
Sun: RHP Felix Hernandez (2-2 3.38 ERA) vs. RHP Clay Buchholz (1-2 5.31 ERA)

Forecast: 4-2 Week.
2 out of 3 vs. O's
2 out of 3 vs. M's