Notable Numerals: Recent Red Sox Streak

Over the past few weeks, the Red Sox have been on fire. The team has been pitching well and hitting for power and average throughout the lineup. When the Red Sox lost last night to the White Sox, they did something they hadn’t done in over 2 weeks: lose 2 games in a row. Given the way this season began for the Red Sox, it didn’t seem like the top story would be a 2-game losing streak on the last day of May, but this team has gone on a 13-4 run since their off-day on May 12th (the day after their last 2-game losing streak). On that off-day, the Red Sox were 5 games back in the AL East, tied for 5th place, but just a little over 2 weeks later, they are tied for 1st place, even after losing 2 straight. Let’s take a look at the last 18 days for the Red Sox.

All the stats below are for the time period between May 12th and May 30th.

Runs per game. The debate has been brewing about whether the pitching, hitting, or both has been the catalyst to this recent surge for the Red Sox, but it is hard to argue with the offensive output from the team over the past two and a half weeks. The offense has scored 14+ runs on 3 occasions and 5+ runs on 7 occasions, making it difficult for the opponent to win, even if the Red Sox pitching staff doesn’t have a great day. The middle of the lineup has been hot as of late, with Adrian Gonzalez powering-up and hitting the ball to all parts of the ballpark. The Red Sox have also gotten some recent contributions from previously slumping bats, Carl Crawford and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. If the Red Sox continue to score close to 6 runs a game, they will be in the race for the AL East through September and will be playing into October.

*  *  *

Runs allowed per game. After showing the numbers for the offense, the pitching staff deserves their due as well. The staff has held opponents down in the run department, not allowing games to get out of hand very often. These past few weeks have resulted in just 3 games where the staff allowed more than 5 runs, which given the offensive output of nearly 6 runs per game, makes this team difficult to stop. In the last 17 games, the Red Sox have allowed 3 or fewer runs in 10 of those, allowing the offense to take control of the game. The overall team ERA has dropped 0.35 points over that stretch, which is a great indicator of the overall team improvement. The Red Sox have gotten some strong individual performances, but it is the team improvement that has made the biggest difference. The team could continue to improve with Bobby Jenks on the verge of returning from the DL, despite people’s mixed opinions on the big reliever.

*  *  *

Left on base. With every positive stretch, there are always negatives as well. This number is the most telling and describes the Red Sox in 2011. Men left on base can be one of the most frustrating things to watch as a fan, a player, a manager, or an owner. The team gets players on base to try and start a rally and then nothing happens. Taking advantage of opportunities is key in baseball and at times, the Red Sox look like they can’t get going when they need to in late innings. Monday night’s game was an example of not taking advantage of opportunities. The Red Sox left 6 men on base and lost by 4 runs. If the Red Sox had a hit or two in those situations, the game may have been very different. Credit has to go to Jake Peavy for working out of a few jams, but the responsibility still rests on the lineup to get the job done. On 4 occasions the Red Sox left 10+ men on base in a game over the past few weeks, wasting opportunities left and right. If they want to reach that next level, that number needs to be cut down a bit.

*  *  *

For all the latest news and analysis from BoSox Injection, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or with our RSS feed.