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Don’t Blame Pitching For Why The Boston Red Sox Are So Bad

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Pedroia frustrated

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

This was not how this season was supposed to work out for the Boston Red Sox. The big controversy was that the Red Sox didn’t have an ace but that was going to be okay. They would have enough of an offense where they would slug their way to victory. After all, they had just signed Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez. What could go wrong?

In one word, everything. David Ortiz and Mike Napoli have gotten off to the worst starts of their careers. Sandoval can’t hit right-handed. Ramirez has been as advertised but he has also been a little inconsistent and particularly in the month of May. The pitching has been pretty decent but now they can’t seem to hit at all. A two-run deficit might as well be twenty-two runs for these hitless wonders.

How much more of this do we have to watch? It is so frustrating to see them struggle to get a hit and then if they do, they almost never can get a run home. Or if they do hit a ball really well, someone from the opposing team makes a spectacular catch. Boston seems to be finding new and exciting ways to lose. The most interesting parts of some of these games is seeing Lou Merloni on Twitter “rooting” for the other team. You know you are bad when Red Sox alumni can’t stomach watching.

Why are they so bad? Some players have commented about the strike zone. However, I don’t buy that. Thirty other teams don’t seem to have much of a problem with it. I do think the Red Sox’s philosophy which worked great in 2003 and 2004 needs to change. The days of being patient and grinding out at bats are gone and I don’t think Boston has realized that yet. That’s why they look so overmatched every day. I would say they should just go up there and hack away but that doesn’t seem to work out either for Boston these days. One could chalk up this lack of offense to a slump but it has gone on now for a month or so. That’s no slump, that is something fundamentally wrong.

I am glad that Boston has won three world championships in my lifetime, because this is as bad of a Red Sox team that I can recall. It is the epitome of unwatchable.

Carter Roane is a Boston Red Sox writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like”him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

 

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