Part of the reason has been the fact that two-thirds of the outfield has been out. Just days after Jacoby Ellsbury collided with Adrian Beltre in the Kansas City outfield, Mike Cameron suffered an abdominal injury/sports hernia. That's left Jeremy Hermida, Darnell McDonald, Bill Hall and Jonathan Van Every to do some heavy lifting every day for the Red Sox.
While the foursome has done well, they weren't brought to Boston be everyday outfielders. The encouraging news for the Red Sox is that both Ellsbury and Cameron are making major steps toward recovery.
Ellsbury has twice taken batting practice this week, and he is eligible to return whenever he feels ready. Cameron also is inching closer and could return to game action this weekend, NESN.com's Tony Lee reports.
The Red Sox have gotten by without Ellsbury at the top of their order and Cameron in the middle, but it hasn't been easy. Though the team is riding a season-high three-game winning streak, both outfielders will be welcomed back with open arms whenever they are ready.
