Consistency will be the key to Boston Red Sox steering the ship
After the first homestand of the season, the Red Sox come out with a 6-11 record. How can this team steer the ship around?
The Boston Red Sox are off to a rough start indeed, but contrary to what the big media will report, I for one am truly not worried. While the starting pitching and the offense have been staggering along thus far, there are some positives to take away.
Christian Vazquez can play second pretty good, the bullpen can be successful when not overused, and finally, Rafael Devers can be patient at the plate.
While most of these positives have not translated into the win column, there are signs that this team will turn it around. The whining stops here. With little panic from manager Alex Cora, that should be reciprocated from the Red Sox faithful.
During this last homestand, we saw stellar outings from southpaws Eduardo Rodriguez and David Price. The Red Sox also received good hitting performances by J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts, as well as the first walk-off hit by Devers.
This team has a competitive vibe, they just lack consistency. For example, on Sunday, they blanked the Orioles 4-0 with stellar pitching from Price and a good scoring day for Bogaerts. Then they were blasted 8-1 by the same Orioles team the next day. Dan Straily, who came into the contest with a 19.29 ERA, held them hitless until the fifth inning!
Stretches like this are bound to happen in a 162 game season. After the latest loss, manager Alex Cora addressed how the team is working hard to climb out of this slump.
“We have to keep working. We know what we have to do as a group,” Cora told reporters, per WEEI.com. “The coaching staff and the players. We talk the game, preaching, trying to get better. And we will get better so there’s no timetable. Obviously the sooner the better, trust me, I’m not saying let’s wait a month and fix this, but we’re working on a daily basis.”
With the boost of confidence from the manager, it’s time for the boys in the back to put forth a grittier effort.
The expectations that get carried over from last year will be fulfilled in due time. Every season is an adjustment, hence why it is a mental game. With this current series in the Bronx, these games could light a fire under both teams who have struggled out of the gate (for different reasons.)
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If we can see some solid run support to go along with better location from our starters, it will be only a matter of time until this team wins with the swag and aggressiveness that they had last season.