03-04-2023, 06:12 AM
Last year the were two wins away from a trip to the World Series. You wouldn't know it based on their play this season. After getting swept by the at Fenway Park this past weekend, the Red Sox have lost six consecutive series and are 1-7-1 in their nine series this year. It's been almost a month since they won back-to-back games. Normally this is where I would put the division standings, but the AL East is very tough, and the Red Sox have played their way out of that conversation. This is where Boston sits in the overall standings right now: 30. : 5-23 29. : 8-19 (3 1/2 GU) 27. : 10-20 (4 GU) 26. : 9-18 (4 1/2 GU) 25. Boston Red Sox: 10-19 (4 1/2 GU) Yes, the Red Sox are rolling around in the mud with the Cubs and Nationals. Boston is 0-6 in extra-innings games, and had it managed to Satchel Paige Jersey split those six games, its record would be a more palatable 13-16. Not great, but not a disaster in early May either. Instead, the Red Sox own one of the worst records in the sport, and their i sues are numerous. "We've dug ourselves a hole. There's no question. We haven't played well," Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told reporters, , over the weekend. "Panic isn't going to help. We have to play better. We put ourselves in this situation, but if we're going to get out of it, we're going to get out of it by doing those things that we know we can do well. There's a difference between urgency and panic, and I Yonder Alonso Jersey think we certainly need to show more urgency than we hoped we would be feeling at this point in the season. But this game isn't going to reward panic." . Their odds have only gone down since then. puts their postseason odds at 7.1 percent right now -- remember, there's an expanded 12-team format this year -- . Either way, it's grim. Here are the three biggest reasons the Red Sox are off to such a dreadful start in 2022. BOS RP #32 ERA7.84WHIP1.65IP10.1BB6K8 This is the most glaring problem with the Red Sox. The bullpen has been very unreliable, particularly in the late innings. Boston has five saves and nine blown saves, including five in the ninth inning. and combined to blow a ninth-inning lead last Wednesday, then Robles did it on his own Saturday. The Red Sox lost both games. All you need to know about the state of the Red Sox bullpen is that Robles re-signed with the club on March 18, reported to camp on March 31 (he was delayed by a visa i sue), made his Grapefruit League debut on April 5, and then was pitching the ninth inning of a tie game on Opening Day on April 8. Robles was their best high-leverage option despite the lack of a proper build up. Yikes. Here are some win probability numbers on Boston's bullpen: Win probability added: -1.10 (28th in )Shutdowns: 28 (13th most in MLB)Meltdowns: 30 (most in MLB)Shutdowns are relief appearances that increase the team's win probability at least six percent. Meltdowns are the opposite. They are relief appearances that decrease the team's win probability at least six percent. The Red Sox are the only team in baseball with more meltdowns that shutdowns. Not even the terrible Reds have managed that. The bullpen woes have been exacerbated by move into Jason Kipnis Jersey the rotation. Whitlock was the Red Sox's best reliever last season and he started this year in the bullpen, but Boston is transitioning him into a starting role because they believe he has top-of-the-rotation upside. If the Red Sox believe that, they owe it to themselves to find out. Whitlock has allowed two earned runs in 12 innings in three starts while building up his pitch count. He's struck out 17 and looked excellent. The experiment is a succe s to date. The downside is manager Alex Cora no longer has that multi-inning high leverage dominator to unleash in close games, and it shows. Robles, Diekman and keep lighting fires in the late innings. Barnes in particular has been a disappointment. He was an All-Star last season and the Red Sox signed him to a two-year, $18.75 million extension on July 11 to keep him from becoming a free agent. Since signing the extension, Barnes has a 7.00 ERA with a 1.93 K/BB and a 1.67 HR/9. He went from being truly elite early last year to borderline unrosterable. Is the ninth inning enough of a problem that the Red Sox should pull the plug on Whitlock as a starter and make him their closer? I'm willing to hear arguments he's more valuable in that role than as a starter, though he looks like a pretty good starter, . The back of the rotation isn't exactly lock-down at the moment. For now, Cora will continue to mix and match in the ninth inning, because what other option does he have? Lefty and righty have done good work to date, so maybe it's time to give them more looks in the late innings. Bad bullpens can ruin a season but they can also be fixed. It's not easy, but it's doable. SD SS #2 BA0.343R17HR2RBI10SB1 The Red Sox have three All-Star Danny Salazar Jersey -caliber hitters performing like All-Stars: , and . They've been great. The rest of the offense has been dreadful. Look at this: PAAVG/OBP/SLG2BHRRBIWARBogaerts, Devers, and Martinez 334 .316/.356/.486 26 9 35 2.3 All other Red Sox hitters 737 .186/.243/.273 33 7 59 -2.4 Bogaerts, Devers and Martinez have been incredible. They are a three-man Atlas, charged with carrying a Red Sox offense that is otherwise filled with too many easy outs and not enough extra-base hits. Just to further drive home the point, here are the team's leaders in OPS+ (min. 50 plate appearances): Xander Bogaerts: 150J.D. Martinez: 144Rafael Devers: 133 : 65 : 65This is not the . You can't build a big three and put the ball in their hands as often as you'd like. The other guys must take at-bats. The middle third of the Red Sox lineup is amazing. One of the best in baseball. The other two-thirds is sub-replacement level. Boston's non-Bogaerts/Devers/Martinez hitters have been that bad a month into the season. So bad it's almost hard to believe. signed a six-year, $140 million deal two weeks before Opening Day and not only is he hitting .194/.276/.269 (59 OPS+) without a homer, he is 1 for 16 with 10 strikeouts in his last four games. He heard boos at Fenway Park over the weekend. Story's elbow was an i sue last year and there are indications it's still an i sue this year ... Trevor Story will never make excuses. Healthy a great player. But the elbow that was an i sue has to be Matt Belisle Jersey addre sed, too good a person and player to endure indignity Peter Gammons (@pgammo) ... plus he had a short spring training and changed positions. There are some potential reasons explaining Story's struggles early this season. Does it make them any easier to sit through as a fan? No. Do the lo ses still count the same?