It's time to take a closer look at the 40-22 Boston Red Sox. The team is coming off a disappointing 3-4 trip to Oakland and Arizona. They actually salvaged something from the trip after losing the first three in Oakland. Schilling was one out away from a no-hitter as the Sox won 1-0 in the last A's game then won 2 of 3 against the Diamondbacks, who had been the hottest team in baseball.
The strength of this Sox team lies in its pitching, that is abundantly clear. The offense as proven last week is good but can be shaky. There are three big reasons why the Sox haven't put up the kind of offensive numbers they're capable of (considering they have Manny and Ortiz-the greatest 3-4 punch of their generation and play in Fenway Park-a hitter's paradise): Julio Lugo, Coco Crisp and J.D. Drew. Lugo and Drew were the big free agent pickups (not named Dice-K) in the off-season and so far, these two have barely done anything. Drew had a ridiculous 2 HR, double, 7 RBI game on Friday in Arizona, who he always crushed when he was in the NL. Hopefully its the start to something for Drew. So far, all he has done consistently is ground out to second about nine times a game. Lugo like it or not has been the lead-off hitter that Francona has stuck by. Why, when he's hitting .213 with a OBP of .274 and slugging of .318? I couldn't tell you. Lugo is fast (17 steals, never caught) but as Coco proved, if you can't get on base, what does it matter if you're fast? Lugo seems like a good fit in the clubhouse (Dominican) and he hasn't spazzed out yet but he's gotta pick it up soon. Compounding things for him, he can't play defense very well either and the Sox simply let Alex Gonzalez (decent hitter, gold-glove shortstop) leave after one season. Youkilis proved last year that you don't have to be fast to be a lead-off hitter. More important in front of big sluggers like Manny and Ortiz, you just have to get on base and work pitchers-Youk's two best assets. We'll see how much longer Terry stands by and watches Lugo strike out three times a game.
Coco? What a disaster. The guy can catch a ball and run the bases but that's about it. You've heard of five tool players, well Coco is about a two tool, maybe one and a half. He is hopeless at the plate, I mean completely lost. He is better suited to trying to bunt to get on each time as the odds of him swinging and putting the ball in play are about as good as Paris Hilton going to Harvard after she gets out of jail. Everyone knows he is just playing out the string as Jacoby Ellsbury gets more seasoning at Pawtucket and ultimately takes over next season when the Sox can let Coco walk. Ellsbury is one of the big reasons the Sox were willing to part with Johnny Damon, who looks and plays like he's about 57 now.
Drew will get better, I think you can bank on that. If not, then the Sox have a lot of money tied up in that stiff. Lugo should also get better-since he can't get much worse and Coco, well he is what he is as Belichick would say. I don't think anything will change for him besides his hairstyle.
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