The Boston Red Sox opened up their season this morning against the Oakland Athletics. The two teams kicked things off at 6 a.m. EDT from Tokyo, Japan. It was an extremely exciting game, with the Red Sox eventually winning in ten innings. The score went back and forth the whole game, and there are a few quick points I'd like to mention:
1. Daisuke Matsuzaka- It was good to see how well Dice-K rebounded from a bad first two innings, and was able to finish strong, and pitch 5 innings. Matsuzaka actually left the game with the chance to earn the win, if it were not for Kyle Snyder giving up a 2 run home run in the bottom of the 6th (more on him later). Dice-K couldn't find the strike zone early, especially with his off-speed pitches. Matsuzaka's strength is his ability to be accurate with a variety of pitches, and in the first 2 innings, he wasn't doing it. In the 3rd-5th innings, Daisuke started working both sides of the plate with his change, and two-seem fastball.
2. Manny Ramirez- "Manny being contract year Manny" is going to be a huge piece of the puzzle for the Sox this year. Manny had 4 RBI's today, including the game-winning 2-run double in the 10th inning. Manny should rebound from an "average" season last year (.296 BA, 20 HR, 88 RBI's).
3. The Red Sox Depth- The Red Sox have unbelieveable depth on this year's squad. They have Coco Crisp (last year's starter/ trade bait), Brandon Moss (game tying home run in 9th inning today), and Bobby Kielty (last year's World Series hero) are all reserve outfielders. The Sox also add Sean Casey, and Alex Cora serve as bench infielders. The Red Sox are in great shape to have insurance on the bench to guard against injuries, and to give starters rest this season.
4. The Achilles Heel- The biggest question mark this year's Red Sox team has is the bullpen. Sure, they have All-Stars Papelbon and Okajima anchoring the back end of the bullpen, but the middle relievers and especially the long relievers are a big question mark. Julien Tavarez will eat some innings, but he is not trustworthy, neither is Kyle Snyder. If the Red Sox can move Crisp for some bullpen help, they will be on the fast track to repeating as World Series Champions.
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I like this post; very informative. I admire your dedication in getting up early to watch your team play.
While I have the opportunity to discuss sports with you all I want and we even do so via a radio show (THE POWER HOUR, WBUL 6-7 PM, THURSDAY NIGHTS), I genuinely like reading these posts because you take the time to compile stats and produce something that is authentically informative.
That being the case, I would love to read your take on two AL-East related issues. One) The Yankees. How do they react to their new manager? Is their pitching strong enough to keep them on top of the AL Wild Card despite being in a division that is more talented from the bottom up (save for Baltimore) than I can remember in quite some time?
And two) Also pitching related: Is the back-end of the Red Sox young staff going to fulfill expectations? Is there more to Buchholz and Lester than the no-hitter and a single post-season body of work? What are their histories? Are they ready for prime time or, perhaps, being rushed a bit?
The potent offense should offset some middle relief mistakes, but I am not sure if it is quite powerful enough to make-up for any unexpected disappointments from the young guns on the staff.
Your take?
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