Red Sox Desperate Need For Starting Pitching Reinforced By Cook’s Lousy Outing

It is guaranteed to be a hot topic well after the disappointing 2012 season comes to a close on this year’s version of the Red Sox; good starting pitching is something the Red Sox lack and lack a lot of, as evidenced by Aaron Cook‘s latest blunder of a start.  This only reinforces how far the Sox have to go before they have a rotation that Red Sox Nation can not only be proud of, but have some distilled confidence in, making this the number one priority for the upcoming off season.

Josh Beckett and Jon Lester have been down right atrocious this season when you compare their statistics to the expectations that these so called number one and two starters carry.  Beckett in particular has looked like a scolded dog that is merely putting in time until he can flip the bird to every Red Sox fan and Boston native on his way out of Massachusetts (should that day ever come).  While Lester has shown promise of late, he’s so far gone from being the number one “ace” of any staff, let alone being that losing streak stopper every championship caliber team has.

Clay Buchholz started out like he was wanting a one-way ticket to Pawtucket, but lately has emerged as the leader of the staff.  Yes,  a scary thought when you consider what the young right-hander endured last season and the first two months of this year. But he’s looked like the Buchholz of 2010 as of late, making him the lone wolf in this flock of sheep.  Kind of ironic when you think about it, he’s the only hungry one amongst a bunch of lackadaisical, overpaid underachievers.

But we knew the top three of the rotation would consist of the aforementioned trio.  It was the bottom end that had everyone raising their eyebrows as April neared and the rotation began to form.  Felix Doubront emerged as a legitimate number four starter, but with it came a workload that he’s not used to; something that wore down his arm and a trip to the DL was inevitable.  While he started out like a pistol, he soon began to struggle, much like his counterparts.

Franklin Morales has been a roller coaster of success this season, spot starting  when needed and showing flashes of brilliance only to be overshadowed with control issues and inconsistencies.  Not exactly a rock at the back end of the rotation.

Aaron Cook was signed this winter as a feel good story, one that Sox management were hoping could return to his successful days he experienced in Colorado.  He’s been anything but that and falls in line with the other starters on this team as mediocre at best when evaluating their seasons.

How about Daniel Bard.  Remember when he used to start games and you could all but hear the opposing batters knees knocking out of fear they may take a 98mph fastball off the head because not even Bard knew where the pitch was going?  Yeah, not exactly a successful experiment and he’ll be lucky to return to the Bard of old out of the bullpen when he gets called back up this season.

Gone are Justin Thomas, Michael Bowden and Justin Germano, who never really panned out in Boston.  Daisuke Matsuzaka is still on the roster, but only for another six weeks before his contract is up and we never have to hear about the gyro ball ever again.  Let’s face it, he’s not answer going forward.

So there we have it.  There is the quick list of past, present and most likely future starters for the Red Sox.  Throw in a Tommy John Surgery recovering John Lackey into the mix and the rotation may look like this: Lester, Beckett, Buchholz, Lackey and Doubront.  Not exactly a championship rotation now is it?

We can only hope Beckett is strapped to a duck boat on the way out of Boston this winter and that both Lester and Lackey find their old form.  A fresh Doubront will still need some work and Buchholz could emerge as a legit number two guy next season.

But there still remains plenty of room for a bonified ace and Ben Cherington had better flip over every rock and knock down every door to find it.  Otherwise, we’ll be forced to watch a bunch of crumpled up lottery tickets fighting for a spot in the rotation and judging by this year, the odds will certainly be stacked against the Red Sox….yet again.