Red Sox: An autopsy of what went wrong for the 2017 season
By Rick McNair
Injuries are part of the game and present a ready-made excuse for failure. Every team has them and one can certainly go to the various sources that show the number of games lost to the disabled list, but the Red Sox had the type the hit at the heart of the team and within that is a glimmer of hope for a far more dynamic 2018.
The game revolves – as Earl Weaver will state – around that little bump in the middle of the infield. In the game as played today the rotation is almost becoming a set-up for your bullpen and that is where the first Hammer of Thor hit this squad and where I shall remain.
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Carson Smith was down for almost the entire season and Tyler Thornburg was. With Thornburg it was especially painful to watch the performance of the player traded for Thornburg – Travis Shaw – perform so well for the Brewers.
Despite the loss of both the bullpen still performed about expectations with a third-place finish among their companions in the American League. Even the last month of the season the bullpen still did not embarrass them. Expect even more emphasis during this off-season.
The Red Sox staff lost Steven Wright for almost the entire season and this was significant when Price lost extended time. A Price of 2016 would have been more than welcomed. You can see the loss clearly when you must have Doug Fister in a key playoff game.
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You never have enough pitching and that has surfaced in many a Red Sox season when a rotation looked overloaded yet became compromised. The 2017 season was no different.