A few weeks ago, after seeing the Yankees take the first two at Fenway Park by a combined score of 24-6, that statement would have been cause for a head examination from the nearest shrink, but now, the thought of winning the World Series doesn’t seem so crazy.
Sure, the Red Sox are 8 1/2 games back in the AL East, but there’s still a lot of baseball to be played, and there are many positive signs that the 2010 season will be more than a bridge to a brighter tomorrow.
Start with the starting rotation. Although one outing doesn’t make a season, Daisuke Matsuzaka’s near no-hitter against the Phillies was like seeing rain after 365 days of a scorching drought. These weren’t the Astros he almost no-hit. This was the best team in the National League, and he shut them down. It can serve as a springboard for Dice-K to becoming the consistent ace everyone in Boston believed he would be when he arrived from Japan.
With Clay Buchholz maturing into a potential All-Star and Jon Lester rounding into Cy Young form, the Red Sox just need Josh Beckett and John Lackey to find their grooves for the rotation to be one of the best in baseball. There’s no reason to doubt this can happen. Once Beckett gets healthy, he will find a way to lower his 7.29 ERA, and Lackey always has taken some time to heat up. The former Angel has a career mark of 28-24 in March, April and May but is 78-50 from June to October.
When the Red Sox have all the bullets in their chamber – and every starter starts delivering six or seven quality innings an outing — the bullpen won’t get overworked. This will make every pitcher’s job easier and make a run to the playoffs viable.
The rest of the pieces already are in place.
The offense is a force. The Red Sox rank second in the majors in home runs, third in OPS and fifth in runs scored. Getting Jacoby Ellsbury back at the top of the lineup will only help the attack. His speed on the basepaths will put more pressure on opponents and provide more run-producing opportunities for the heart of the order.
Look at the May numbers. Kevin Youkilis is hitting .390 with five home runs and 14 RBIs. David Ortiz is hitting .351 with seven home runs and 18 RBIs. J.D. Drew is hitting .347 with two home runs and 16 RBIs. And Victor Martinez is hitting .274 with five home runs and 15 RBIs.
Adrian Beltre is beginning to flash Gold Glove leather again (to go along with this team-leading .321 average), and the Red Sox are playing better team defense. They are tied for seventh in the majors in fielding percentage (.984) and tied for fifth in the AL.
These upward trends bode well for stringing together wins in bunches this summer. In 2004, the Red Sox were 9 1/2 games out of first on Aug. 1. That season had a happy ending, and one of the catalysts of that historic run, Kevin Millar, is returning to Boston on May 27. Around New England, that’s roughly the equivalent of having Santa Claus come to town. Millar won’t be suiting up, but his presence will help those who will.
The Red Sox could have easily waved the white flag after getting off to a slow start this season. They could have hit the panic button – like some in Red Sox Nation did – and said this isn’t our year. They could have gotten swept by the Yankees at Fenway on May 9. The Red Sox could have rolled over at Yankee Stadium after falling behind 6-1 on May 17. But instead, they banded together and made a stand. They kept battling. They kept grinding. And they salvaged a win against the pinstripes in Boston and almost swept them in the Bronx.
There is no quit in the 2010 Red Sox. They still have plenty of fight, and if they need another bat, glove or arm, Theo Epstein won’t be afraid to pull the trigger on a trade.
Pennants aren’t won in April or May. Catching the Rays or Yankees won’t be easy, but it’s not impossible. Tampa Bay and New York are both quality clubs, but anyone who thinks the Rays will maintain their 117-win pace for the season should look into buying some beachfront property in the Florida Keys.
Something good is on the horizon for the Red Sox. They are better than a .500 club, and they are much more than a fourth-place team. They know what it takes to win a championship. They have a roster full of players who have been there before, and they can get back there again.
Patience is a good virtue to have — in life and baseball.
So is belief.
Keep that in mind when you’re watching the Red Sox the rest of the way.
