Red Sox: Boston Tee-off Party
By Noah Small
The Red Sox offense has been dominant all season, and so far in July they have brought it to a whole new level.
While there are certainly plenty of reasons to still be skeptical of this Red Sox team, one thing is without question, these boys can hit. As we were once again reminded of last night in the total bombardment on the Twin’s sub-par pitching. These 2016 Sox won’t just beat bad pitching, they will annihilate it, and embarrass the opposing team in front of their friends and family.
Boston has been on a tear at the plate all season, but during the month of July they have brought it to new heights. And, as one would expect, this has translated into wins as the Sox have gone 12-3 over their last 15 games and currently sit atop of the AL East.
So far this month, Boston is batting a cool .316. That, raising this years overall average to .291, and in case you were wondering, if the season ended today that would be the highest team batting average since the 2001 Colorado Rockies.
What makes it even more impressive is the fact it isn’t 2001, and we are not in the “Steroid Era”, or playing home games at Coors Field.
The Red Sox currently lead the league in runs with 529 through 93 games, giving them an incredible average of 5.7 runs-per-game. I guess you can, in theory, give up 5 runs a game and still win. At, least that’s what these Sox are trying to prove, as they also lead the league in batting average (.291), hits (961), on base percentage (.357), slugging percentage (.479), on-base plus slugging (.836), and just about every other major offensive category.
What is interesting though is that the one offensive stat they don’t lead in is home runs. In fact, they are tied with the Astros at 12th in the league with 118 bombs.
But, that may just be Boston’s best attribute, as they are able to pound the ball and put up huge offensive numbers without relying on the long ball. It could also make this run, all that more sustainable.
Furthermore, with an offense producing in such a way, the Red Sox have been able to overcome their mediocre pitching. A David Price, who is still struggling; a newly acquired Drew Pomeranz, who laid an egg in his Sox debut; Buchholz being Buchholz; and oh ya, Boston’s top four relievers being simultaneously on the DL. But, it won’t seem to matter much, as long as Boston can continue to beat down teams with wooden baseball bats.
And, even with all the factors in play against the Red Sox and players such as David Ortiz to continue this torrid pace, it seems they are just getting better. Three days ago, Ortiz hit a 451 foot home run off old fried Jake Peavy, which was his longest of the season. And on Thursday, he followed it up by crushing his second longest bomb to the tune of 440 feet.
His little buddy Dustin Pedroia has also started to heat up, and now carries a .304 batting average after going 5-5 against the Twins.
Not to mention Boston’s young studs who are ripping the leather off baseballs. Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts, and Jackie Bradley Jr. currently sit at .324, .306, and .297 respectively.
Boston’s bats have carried them to a 54-39 record. That’s good for a half-game lead in the East over the Orioles, and there’s no sign this train is slowing any time soon.
Next: Red Sox Rodriguez Is Set To Stay In Rotation
This is a team to enjoy and buy into because of this offense, even if the pitching doesn’t fully come around and stays at the middle of the pack. But, my goodness, if Price and Co. could finally figure their stuff out, this could be a year to remember.