Boston Red Sox lefthander Felix Doubront was the only bright spot in the starting rotation during the first half of 2012.
Terry Francona said it perfectly on WEEI’s “The Big Show” with Michael Holley and Kirk Minehane on Thursday. The Boston Red Sox are tied for last place in the AL East because their starting pitching has been inconsistent.
Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, and Clay Buchholz have not performed like the aces they should be and have been in the past.
Lester is just 5-6 with a 4.49 ERA. His fastball is straight and he has been getting hit hard. Lester has struggled early in games and with his pitch count rising, he has only been lasting either five or six innings at the most. Since September 11, 2011, the Red Sox are 7-15 when Lester is on the mound and Lester has an ERA a shade over 5.00.
Meanwhile, Beckett pitched well for the majority of April and May (other than his opening start in Detroit against the Tigers and his Golf Gate start versus the Cleveland Indians). In June, he struggled with a shoulder injury that caused him to miss a start and then he got lit up in his previous start last Friday night against the New York Yankees when he allowed five runs in the first inning. Beckett has become the symbol of hatred among the fans with his lack of accountability for last year’s clubhouse issues when the pitchers drank beer and ate fried chicken on the days they weren’t pitching. He also was seen golfing on his off day after the Red Sox decided to skip Beckett’s start on May 5th. During that weekend, the Red Sox suffered a 9-6 defeat in 17 innings to the Baltimore Orioles. The Red Sox were forced to use Darnell McDonald as a pitcher in the 17th inning. McDonald proceeded to allow a game-winning three-run home run to Orioles’ center fielder Adam Jones.
Buchholz began the year with an ERA over 9.00 in the middle of May. Then he was in the process of turning his season around before he landed on the disabled list with intestinal bleeding. After Buchholz got out of the hospital, there were pictures taken of him at a charity event in Foxwoods that did not sit well with the media (particularly Comcast SportsNet’s Gary Tanguay and fans). Buchholz made a rehab start last weekend for the Pawtucket Red Sox and he is expected to make a start on Saturday in Tampa Bay against the Rays.
The Red Sox need these three pitchers to produce in the 2nd half if the Red Sox expect to have any chance of competing for a spot in the postseason. Felix Doubront has exceeded expectations in the first half and he was the only pitcher to get a win in last week’s series against the Yankees when he was the only starter to pitch into the 7th inning in the series. There has been a revolving door in the fifth spot of the rotation. Daniel Bard struggled with his command and he was sent down to Pawtucket. Like the Red Sox season to this point, Bard has battled bouts of inconsistency in the minor leagues. Daisuke Matsuzaka continues to deal with neck problems that initially kept him in the minor leagues during his attempt to come back from Tommy John surgery. When Matsuzaka came back, he was the same frustrating pitcher that he has been since 2009. He gave up runs early in the game before he would settle down against some poor lineups like the Chicago Cubs. Then on July 2nd, Matsuzaka lasted just one inning in Oakland when he let up five earned runs, including home runs by former Sox outfielders Josh Reddick and Brandon Moss. Aaron Cook got injured when he was cleated in the knee trying to tag Orioles’ infielder Mark Reynolds out at the plate after a passed ball by Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Cook has been solid, but there has been a small sample size.
The Red Sox can win with players like Daniel Nava, Ryan Kalish, etc. They will need their starting pitchers to regain their dominance they enjoyed in the past that led to them receiving big contracts. If the Red Sox are going to go anywhere this season, Lester, Beckett, and Buchholz need to be reliable, which they haven’t shown at in the first half of 2012.