Outlook for the Boston Red Sox this season is all over the place. Plenty of pundits have them in the playoffs. You’ll find lots of “experts” who also have them missing out on the post-season. However, everyone seems to agree that the AL East is weakened; certainly so when compared against what it once was.
Also, it’s a consensus that the Boston Red Sox will be an offense-heavy team that struggles with pitching. The Sox will win games, but they’ll do it by out-scoring people.
The Boston Red Sox just gave HUGE money to their #3 starter- Rick Porcello. The hurler and club agreed to a four year, $82 million extension. That’s mad cheddah! So the Sox make this move, which is more money than what they offered Jon Lester, who leaves to become the #1 Opening Day starter with the Chicago Cubs.
Where’s the logic here? He’s a #3 starter; or maybe a number two at best. However, he just got paid like an ace. Technically, the ace of BoSox staff is Clay Buchholz. He certainly performed like it on Opening Day- throwing 7 innings of shut out ball with 9 Ks and 1 BB.
ESPN MLB analysts Curt Schilling and John Kruk (Sunday Night Baseball) participated in ESPN’s MLB Opening Night/Opening Day media conference call earlier this week. During the call, Kruk talked about how unimpressed he was with the Red Sox opening day starter Clay Buchholz, and Schilling directly called him out; with authority.
He said Buchholz doesn’t want to be an ace. (full transcript here).
I know what you’re thinking, ESPN pundits ripping the network’s beloved Boston Red Sox? I know, it made me giddy too! After all ESPN is headquartered in Bristol, which is smack dab in the de-militarized zone between Yankee Territory and Red Sox Nation.
So the Boston Red Sox critique is quite refreshing. Here’s what Kruk and Schilling had to say about the Boston Red Sox pitching staff this season, and if they have an ace or not:
SCHILLING: any time you have to pause to answer that question, you team doesn’t have a legit No. 1. If Lester was here, you’d say Jon Lester. But it’s not going to be Clay Buchholz.
the last couple years, you’ve seen teams win 96, 97 games and go three?and?out in the playoffs because they don’t have that guy to hand the ball to and say, okay, this guy is pitching ?? they don’t have their Madison Bumgarner, and if you don’t have that, I think it makes October tougher.
JOHN KRUK: You can get through with five good starters, but when it comes down to we have to win this big game, you know, if you’re matching up against another team’s No. 1 who can shut you down, you can’t count on the offense to give you five or six runs, you’re going to be in trouble, and that’s why I think Boston is going to be in trouble. Like Curt said, they don’t have one guy you can look at and say, okay, he’s our guy. He’s our guy. If we have a four?game losing streak he’s the one that’s going to stop it or if we have a three?game winning streak he’s the one that’s going to continue it. That guy is not there.
If you’re a Boston Red Sox fan would you love to see them go out and get Cole Hamels or whoever is available that could be that guy? Absolutely, and if they did, you’d have to think, okay, now they’re the No. 1 ?? as far as on paper goes, they’re the team to beat in the American League East, but they don’t, and that’s why to me they’re right there with everyone else. I don’t think there’s one team in that division you can look at and say, wow, they are going to be unbelievable this year. I think the American League East has taken a step back. I think every team is a good team but not a great team.
CURT SCHILLING: When you look at the really good general managers and the good organizations, they leave Spring Training with a plan, and that plan involves, hey, we’ll make a move at the deadline if we’re in this situation. I think if the Boston Red Sox are in a situation at the deadline to make a move, they’re in probably as good if not a better position than anybody to make that Cole Hamels move.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital. You can read Banks’ feature stories and op-eds in the Chicago Tribune RedEye newspaper and hear his regular guest spots on numerous sports talk radio stations all across the country.
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