Pedroia looking like himself once again

Just two weeks ago, Dustin Pedroia was in the midst of another rocky streak… something the feisty second baseman is not very fond of. In fact, Pedroia’s performance at the plate was very similar to the Red Sox season as a whole… unexpectedly sub-par, and straight-up disappointing.

While the Red Sox have yet to really climb out of the hole (yes, we’re still praying that they can), Pedroia has begun to look more like himself once again. Last night’s work showed just that, as Pedroia ripped a clutch single up the middle in the eight inning to put the Sox on the board, kicking off the comeback.

But his improved play goes beyond last night. In his last eleven games, the Laser Show has recorded 19 hits in his last 45 at-bats, logging in at a .422 batting average. In the span of just two weeks, the Muddy Chicken has brought his batting average up 20 points.

While his average for the season is still at just .282 (which isn’t horrible in itself, it’s just that Pedey has never played a season with less than a .288 BA) his numbers of late have been on the rise. And although the season has been frustrating for the team as a whole, Dustin has remained the leader that he is at heart.

This season, as well as last, are a true test to the character of any player. Less than a year ago, the Sox were on top of the baseball world, looking down at the rest of the league. Now,  just eight months later, Sox are staring up a pretty big slope. 9.5 games out of the division lead, the Red Sox have dug themselves a hole.

But if there’s one guy that can spark a team to blast themselves out of such a hole, it’s Dustin Pedroia.