Too Much Pride for Small Ball?

The Red Sox find themselves smack dab in the middle of a nasty 6 game losing streak to start the year.  Not only are they losing, but they’re not hitting.  Only one player has a batting average over .250, Adrian Gonzalez at.304.  Only 5 players have extra base hits, Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz, Adrian Gonzalez, Jacoby Ellsburyand JD Drew in an all-star loaded lineup that has only hit 4 home runs.  There have been situations throughout the first 6 games where the Red Sox had runners in scoring position with less than 2 outs.  They’ve also had many opportunities late in ballgames with the lead runner on base, only to strand him there. 

So this begs the question……why not play small ball? Is it because there is too much pride with manager Terry Francona to lay down a bunt with Kevin Youkilisat the plate?  All Youk has done this spring is hit a dismal .105, without a clutch base hit.  Why not lay a bunt down and advance the runner into scoring position to at least have a chance to drive him in.  There have been too many situations thus far in the early goings of missed opportunities that have fallen by the way side due to not getting that timely hit. 

I know bunting is used more often in the National League, but when you have a team that is under so much scrutiny and pressure to win and they have yet to crack the ‘W’ column, why not lay one down.  Perhaps a wild pitch or a sac  fly could bring in some runs.  Is there too many ego’s on the ball club that would rather swing away and fly out to shallow left?

At this point of the losing streak I hope that Tito will try anything to win, including sacrificing.  At this point Red Sox Nation will take any kind of win no matter how ugly it is.  After all, the only run that the Indians scored on Thursday afternoon that won them the ball game came via a sacrifice bunt.  It was like rubbing salt in the wound.

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