Boston Red Sox: 1 thing to be excited about and 1 to fear after the 1st series
The Boston Red Sox had not won an opening series since 2018. This weekend the Red Sox opened their season with a series win over the Baltimore Orioles. Led by red-hot bats the Red Sox ended their four-year drought of bad starts.
The lucky number was nine. The Red Sox were able to score nine runs in each of their three games to open the season for 27 runs in their opening series.
1 good thing: The Red Sox lineup looks unstoppable
The Red Sox were able to rally behind crucial bats within the lineup. Adam Duvall, Rafael Devers, and Justin Turner were key components in the Red Sox success of this past weekend. The three totaled 20 hits, 14 runs, and all three had a batting average of over .400.
Better yet, Duvall was able to play hero with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth vs the Orioles in their 9-8 comeback win.
Masataka Yoshida showed his versatility in his debut series. Yoshida shined for four hits, three RBI, a stolen base, and a batting average of .308. Yoshida's early success has shown many fans the caliber of player the Red Sox were able to land.
One of the unsung heroes of the weekend was Alex Verdugo, who tallied four RBI, five hits, three runs, and a home run. The Red Sox have expected Verdugo to take that next step as a star and for sure he has already shown flashes of the quality of player he can be for the Sox.
The Boston Red Sox started the season with a rocky loss to Baltimore. However, The Sox rallied back this past weekend to give us an insight into the potential this team can provide throughout the season.
1 bad thing: Boston Red Sox pitching staff struggles
The Red Sox opened their season with concerning outings from the pitching staff. The Orioles were able to get after the Sox early in this series, in the first two games of the season Boston gave up a combined four runs in the first inning. Both Kluber and Sale accounted for 12 runs on only three innings pitched each.
The starters were not only to blame. The Red Sox bullpen allowed eight runs, 20 hits, and an ERA of 4.60 this past weekend. Kaleb Ort and Ryan Brasier accounted for 5 of the eight runs allowed in the pen this past weekend.
One of the brighter spots of the Bullpen came from one of the key additions to the off-season, Chris Martin. Martin was able to hold down the fort for the Sox in all three games allowing only three hits and zero runs.
Kenley Jansen gave the Sox life by closing out Saturday's thrilling game with two strikeouts in the ninth to help lead the Red Sox to a comeback win. In the short glimpse, Jansen was able to showcase exactly why the Sox paid for his veteran experience.