Greg M. Cooper-USA Today Sports
After dropping a doubleheader and three game series to the Kansas City Royals, it was going to be very interesting to see how the Boston Red Sox would rebound in their next series against the Oakland A’s.
If the three games against the A’s are any indication, the Red Sox are going to be able to weather any losing streak or rough patch during the season if their pitching continues to keep them reasonably in games.
Jon Lester did exactly what you need the ace of your rotation to do, stop a losing streak, even if it is just one game. It wasn’t that Lester had his best stuff, he didn’t, but he managed to keep his team in the game until they could find a chance to win.
It speaks volumes to the change in Lester’s stature on the team that this was easily his worst outing on the season and yet the Red Sox still won the game. Lester is now 4-0 on the season and giving Boston the type of performance that they would want every day.
David Ortiz’s impact on the offense and clubhouse can’t be underestimated. In his first six games back with the big club, Ortiz is batting .500 so far and has really spread out and deepened the Red Sox lineup.
The Red Sox were able to salvage a series win after Tuesday’s ugly 13-0 loss by sandwiching that loss with two great wins against a really good A’s team. The only real down side from the series was the poor start from Alfredo Aceves and even more troubling than Aceves’ start was his lack of accountability in talking about his performance after the start.
Aceves also managed to call out the offense last night, something that is unlikely to play well in what seems to be a close knit locker room. The Red Sox announced after the game on Wednesday that they had optioned Aceves to the minors.
It is about time the Red Sox realize they have 24 players moving in one direction and one player consistently moving in the other direction. If Aceves makes another start for the Red Sox, it would be a surprise.
John Lackey is ready to return and with the impressive performance by Allen Webster, Aceves doesn’t seem to hold his value anymore. Whatever positives that Aceves has brought to the team over the past three seasons have gradually been undone by his bizarre behavior.
After losing two of three against the Royals, this is a good sign that the Red Sox will be able to minimize their losing streaks during the season by bouncing back against good competition.
