The Key Difference Between The 2012 and 2013 Red Sox: Resolve

If the 2012 Red Sox were a human being and a full body scan were taken of the then dying patient doctors would have made an alarming discovery; no spine.

May 17, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Daniel Nava (29) hits a single in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The 2013 edition of the Old Towne Team is a different animal. After a torrid April start, they stumbled badly in early May, at one point dropping three in a row, six of seven and nine of 11. They looked to again be baseball’s version of Muhammed Ali, rope a doping their way through a series of beatings good, bad and ugly. April’s invincible armor, once a mere chink, ruptured into a gaping crevasse. Fans quickly became disenchanted and the murmurs of a long skid that would soon have the Sox in the same neighborhood as the Angels and Dodgers approached a shriek amongst the Twitterati.  I wrote a piece outlining my own supreme frustration with the beat downs. And then a funny thing happened. Before our eyes this team wonderfully grew a backbone.

It’s as if the team suddenly got a collective Dustin Pedroia dirt dog infusion. The bullpen pitching stiffened and the hitting, although still not stout – with the exception of a 9-2 eruption against the Rays – got timely hits when they needed to, capped by a 3-2 extra inning win against the Twins Friday night. Boston has won three in a row and is 1 game behind New York in the AL East.

Welcome back to improving health patient. Red Sox Nation hopes for a continued speedy recovery.