Just one month ago, the Red Sox were stumbling out of the gate and the Yankees were off to a smoking hot start. The Sox (4-9) were 5.5 games behind the Yankees (9-3). In the month since then, both teams have gone 15-11. A lot has gone right, a lot wrong for both teams. What does this portend for the future?
The Sox: Right - Jon Lester has righted the ship and is pitching like the true ace of the staff. The three lead guys in the bullpen have continued to pitch well, despite Jonathan Papelbon blowing his first save since last July 28. The offense is clicking on all gears. JD Drew (1.080 OPS for May), Kevin Youkilis (1.350), and David Ortiz (1.163) are all on fire. While thiskind of production is unsustainable, these guys are all showing that they’re capable of carrying the middle of the order. Jason Varitek (1.209 for the season) is showing that given limited playing time and plenty of rest, he’s still a valuable player.
Wrong - The bullpen after Delcarmen, Bard, and Papelbon sucks. The starting rotation after Buchholz and Lester has fluctuated between erratic and hideous. The outfield defense with Ellsbury and Cameron on the shelf has cost the Sox several games, including the disaster in the Bronx Monday night. Victor Martinez has been useless offensively.
The future - The offense, which was criticized all winter, should continue to be one of the 3-4 best in the league. The defense with the return of Cameron and Ellsbury should be among the best in the league. The return of Ellsbury and Cameron and Martinez starting to hit, should offset the normalizing of Ortiz, Youkilis, and Drew. The season hinges on Beckett righting the ship, Lackey showing a bit more consistency, and Matsuzaka showing a few more flashes of the brilliance he showed against Toronto. It’s all about the starting pitching.
The Yankees - Right - The offense has been carried by Cervelli (.929), Thames (1.024), and Swisher (.915). Four of the starting pitchers have been pitching like Roy Halladay. Alex Rodriguez (.964 for May) and Mark Teixeira (.978 for May) have righted their ships.
Wrong - They appear to have no bullpen. None. After missing two weeks, Mariano Rivera has a blown save and a loss in his last two appearances, allowing 4 runs. He’s 40 years old. The two lefties (Logan and Marte) have WHIPs of 1.50 and 1.82. Joba Chamberlain sucks. Javier Vazquez thinks he’s Dice-K Matsuzaka. Derek Jeter has a .498 OPS for the month of May. He is 36. Jorge Posada has had a series of minor injuries. These wouldn’t be much of a concern if he weren’t 38 and weren’t a catcher. Nick Johnson is Nick Johnson. While Curtis Granderson has been on the shelf, he’s been more than capably replaced by Marcus Thames.
The future - Cloudy - While Pettitte, Hughes, and Burnett are all fine pitchers, none is nearly as good as he’s performed. Can Vazquez turn the corner? Will he even be given the chance? Can they find a bullpen? They should get enough production out of Posada and Granderson when Thames, Cervelli and Swisher return to Earth, though Posada’s age and health will remain a question. Are Rivera and Jeter showing their age or will they return to their former high levels of play?
The Sox: Right - Jon Lester has righted the ship and is pitching like the true ace of the staff. The three lead guys in the bullpen have continued to pitch well, despite Jonathan Papelbon blowing his first save since last July 28. The offense is clicking on all gears. JD Drew (1.080 OPS for May), Kevin Youkilis (1.350), and David Ortiz (1.163) are all on fire. While thiskind of production is unsustainable, these guys are all showing that they’re capable of carrying the middle of the order. Jason Varitek (1.209 for the season) is showing that given limited playing time and plenty of rest, he’s still a valuable player.
Wrong - The bullpen after Delcarmen, Bard, and Papelbon sucks. The starting rotation after Buchholz and Lester has fluctuated between erratic and hideous. The outfield defense with Ellsbury and Cameron on the shelf has cost the Sox several games, including the disaster in the Bronx Monday night. Victor Martinez has been useless offensively.
The future - The offense, which was criticized all winter, should continue to be one of the 3-4 best in the league. The defense with the return of Cameron and Ellsbury should be among the best in the league. The return of Ellsbury and Cameron and Martinez starting to hit, should offset the normalizing of Ortiz, Youkilis, and Drew. The season hinges on Beckett righting the ship, Lackey showing a bit more consistency, and Matsuzaka showing a few more flashes of the brilliance he showed against Toronto. It’s all about the starting pitching.
The Yankees - Right - The offense has been carried by Cervelli (.929), Thames (1.024), and Swisher (.915). Four of the starting pitchers have been pitching like Roy Halladay. Alex Rodriguez (.964 for May) and Mark Teixeira (.978 for May) have righted their ships.
Wrong - They appear to have no bullpen. None. After missing two weeks, Mariano Rivera has a blown save and a loss in his last two appearances, allowing 4 runs. He’s 40 years old. The two lefties (Logan and Marte) have WHIPs of 1.50 and 1.82. Joba Chamberlain sucks. Javier Vazquez thinks he’s Dice-K Matsuzaka. Derek Jeter has a .498 OPS for the month of May. He is 36. Jorge Posada has had a series of minor injuries. These wouldn’t be much of a concern if he weren’t 38 and weren’t a catcher. Nick Johnson is Nick Johnson. While Curtis Granderson has been on the shelf, he’s been more than capably replaced by Marcus Thames.
The future - Cloudy - While Pettitte, Hughes, and Burnett are all fine pitchers, none is nearly as good as he’s performed. Can Vazquez turn the corner? Will he even be given the chance? Can they find a bullpen? They should get enough production out of Posada and Granderson when Thames, Cervelli and Swisher return to Earth, though Posada’s age and health will remain a question. Are Rivera and Jeter showing their age or will they return to their former high levels of play?
