Sox week in review: The good, the bad & the ugly
The Guru
Contributing Writer
Another week down, another Red Sox roller coaster ride. Dustin Pedroia got paid, the Clay Buchholz watch is at day 50, trade rumors swirled and Big Papi turned into the Hulk.
It was a tough week for the Red Sox, but they managed to wrestle first place back from the Tampa Bay Rays. For the time being. The Sox beat the Yanks last Sunday, lost two of three to the Rays, then took two from the Orioles. Boston still has the most wins in the American League at 63-43, but are just 5-5 in their last 10 games.
There’s never a shortage of drama when it comes to the Olde Towne Team. Let’s take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly for the week.
The Good: Mike Napoli has started to hit again. Which is a good thing with the team slumping at the plate. Napoli was the big bat of the week as he mashed three homers, had five RBI and scored five runs. This is the Nap the Sox need in the middle of the order.
Jon Lester seems to have found is mojo again. Lester grabbed two wins on the week against two tough teams, the Rays and Orioles. In his last 13 innings of work, Lester has given up just two runs and struck out 16 batter. For the Red Sox to remain in it to win it in the AL East, they need Lester as their ace.
Brandon Workman has been working some rookie magic since being called up. Despite a loss last week, Workman pitched 6 innings of two run ball and could be a difference maker the rest of the season.
The Bad: Jose Iglesias was bound to fall back to Earth eventually. No one expected a .400 average the rest of the year. Iggy has just four hits in his last 37 at-bats. While his play remains stellar in the field, rumors have the Red Sox looking for a veteran third base bat as they approach the trade deadline.
Dustin Pedroia signs a $100 million extension and promptly falls into a 2-for-27 slump. This won't last, expect Pedey to get hot again this week.
Daniel Nava seems to be the forgotten man lately. Nava only played three games last week and recorded just one hit.
The Ugly: Red Sox bats have gone cold. The Sox are hitting just .223 since the All-Star break and went a stretch of 19 innings with only one run scored. The bats seemed to heat up over the weekend, let's hope it was just a short slump.
David Ortiz lost his cool and the dugout phone paid the price. Perhaps it was just a moment of frustration, but Papi you got to keep it together man. This team can not afford to lose your bat for something stupid. Fortunately, Ryan Dempster and Jonny Gomes made the necessary repairs.
Follow The Guru on Twitter @TheGuruGS
More musings from The Guru.
Contributing Writer
It was a tough week for the Red Sox, but they managed to wrestle first place back from the Tampa Bay Rays. For the time being. The Sox beat the Yanks last Sunday, lost two of three to the Rays, then took two from the Orioles. Boston still has the most wins in the American League at 63-43, but are just 5-5 in their last 10 games.
There’s never a shortage of drama when it comes to the Olde Towne Team. Let’s take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly for the week.
The Good: Mike Napoli has started to hit again. Which is a good thing with the team slumping at the plate. Napoli was the big bat of the week as he mashed three homers, had five RBI and scored five runs. This is the Nap the Sox need in the middle of the order.
Jon Lester seems to have found is mojo again. Lester grabbed two wins on the week against two tough teams, the Rays and Orioles. In his last 13 innings of work, Lester has given up just two runs and struck out 16 batter. For the Red Sox to remain in it to win it in the AL East, they need Lester as their ace.
Brandon Workman has been working some rookie magic since being called up. Despite a loss last week, Workman pitched 6 innings of two run ball and could be a difference maker the rest of the season.
The Bad: Jose Iglesias was bound to fall back to Earth eventually. No one expected a .400 average the rest of the year. Iggy has just four hits in his last 37 at-bats. While his play remains stellar in the field, rumors have the Red Sox looking for a veteran third base bat as they approach the trade deadline.
Dustin Pedroia signs a $100 million extension and promptly falls into a 2-for-27 slump. This won't last, expect Pedey to get hot again this week.
Daniel Nava seems to be the forgotten man lately. Nava only played three games last week and recorded just one hit.
The Ugly: Red Sox bats have gone cold. The Sox are hitting just .223 since the All-Star break and went a stretch of 19 innings with only one run scored. The bats seemed to heat up over the weekend, let's hope it was just a short slump.
David Ortiz lost his cool and the dugout phone paid the price. Perhaps it was just a moment of frustration, but Papi you got to keep it together man. This team can not afford to lose your bat for something stupid. Fortunately, Ryan Dempster and Jonny Gomes made the necessary repairs.
Follow The Guru on Twitter @TheGuruGS
More musings from The Guru.
