Rotation for Sox Needs Upgrade

To say that the 2012 Boston Red Sox season has been a tumultuous roller coaster thus far would be a disservice to everyone involved with the team.  Although they somehow sit a mere 6.5 games behind in the AL East, the team has shown no signs of making any serious runs this season.  It was just one year ago that this “super” team was the toast of Major League Baseball, destined to manhandle any opponent that would come its way. 

The epic September collapse has come and gone.  The pitching staff, which floundered profusely down the stretch last season, has been a disappointment thus far to say the least.  While the offense has struggled, largely due to the absence of the starting outfield, the starting pitching continues to trend downhill.

Since they won the World Series in 2007, the pitching staff has progressively gotten worse.  After allowing 657 runs in 2007, the number went up to 737 last season.  The team is already at 290 runs allowed this season, ranked just above the Twins for second to last in the AL. 

Instead of progressing with a young core of Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, and Clay Buchholz  since its championship 2007 campaign, the staff has bottomed out this season.  Here are all of the culprits.

Josh Beckett: Often cited as the main offender of the “Chicken & Beer Gate” from last season, Beckett has distanced himself from the media and fans effectively by telling fans he earned all of the days off (this was after he was spotted golfing after being scratched from a start).  Not only has Beckett become one of the most highly unlikeable “star” Boston athletes in recent memory, his play has become rather average.  Average play would be fine for a third a fourth starter, not for a former World Series MVP who just signed an extension through 2014.  He’s also prone to a half dozen injuries a year, is on the wrong side of 30, and has had his physical condition questioned numerous times.  His fake tough guy routine has always seemed like a complete façade, and now that he has treated the fans (who help pay his salary with high ticket prices) with complete disdain, a 4.14 ERA from a supposed ace this season makes him all the more intolerable.  After getting swept at home and dropping its record to 14-19 at Fenway Park, the Red Sox were looking for an “ace-like” effort from Beckett against his old team, the Miami Marlins.  Facing the Marlins stud of the future, Josh Johnson, the other Josh submitted a pedestrian line of four earned runs in seven innings pitched.

Jon Lester: Expected to be the team’s top pitcher and go-to performer in recent seasons, Lester has faltered in poor fashion this season.  After falling from grace last September, Lester has failed to pick up his play this season, seeing his ERA rise to 4.57 this season.  Last season, despite his September struggles, it was at 3.47.  His hardened demeanor has always resonated well with fans, but has often seemed to sidetrack him at times.  After getting squeezed by umpires, instead of narrowing in on hitters, Lester has let it get to him.  He tends to lose his focus, and by the end of a poor inning, can usually be seen glaring back at the home plate umpire.  If he wants to fully realize his potential as one of the games dominant pitchers, Lester has to mature beyond the missed the calls.  His decreased velocity is also a major concern.

Clay Buchholz: Somehow has six wins on the season, in spite of 13 homeruns allowed and a 5.77 ERA.  Buchholz went from phenom in 2007 (tossing a no-hitter as a 22 year old), to a bust in 2008 (posting a god awful 6.75 ERA in 15 starts.  Baseball experts decried his 17-win campaign in 2010 due to his low strikeout to walk ratio.  A former first round pick, Buchholz has been dreadful this season, although he has shown significant improvement of late.  He has allowed four earned runs in his last 24 innings pitched, including a complete game shutout in his last start against Baltimore.

Felix Doubront: Perhaps biggest bright spot of the rotation thus far, the 24 year old southpaw from Venezuela has taken hold of the No. 4 spot with some solid pitching performances.  Although he has rarely been overly spectacular this season, it would be hard for the Red Sox to ask more from a pitcher who had only started two games in his career at the major league level before this season.  While he may have some control issues, Doubront’s 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings is surely impressive.  The Red Sox may have a future No. 3 starter in Doubront.

Daniel Bard: What has been said about Doubront unfortunately can’t be said about Bard.  Mysteriously converted from a setup man to a starter this season – even after Jonathan Papelbon left for Philadelphia – Bard was recently sent down to AAA Pawtucket after submitting one of the worst pitching lines in recent memory: 1.2 innings pitched; 5 earned runs; six walks; two hit batters.  The one positive; one hit allowed.  One of the best bullpen pitchers in all of baseball just two years ago (and one of the games young stars in the making), Bard has fallen fast from grace.  His mechanics look like a mess, and he doesn’t seem to throw the ball with as much force as he once did.  Couple that with the fact that he has been deemed relatively fragile mentally, one has to hope that Bard can regain the same filthy stuff he once had, whether it be as a starter or reliever.

Daisuke Matsuzaka: Even though he just completed his first start of the season (a not-so-bad showing against Washington), Daisuke deserves to be raked over the coals just as much as the other members of the staff.  If not for the John Lackey experiment, Daisuke may have been considered Theo Epstein’s worst mistake (also see: Lugo, Julio; Drew, J.D.; Jenks, Bobby; Crawford, Carl).  After the Red Sox posted a ridiculous posting fee just to speak with him, Daisuke has stolen a large majority of his $52 million salary.  Daisuke has gone from 61 games started in 2007-08, to 45 in his last four years of service.  A nibbler to say the least when it comes to throwing strikes, Daisuke has allowed a whopping 302 walks in 627 innings, good for a career 4.3 walks per nine inning ratio.  Perhaps Manager Bobby Valentine’s stint as a successful Japanese manager can help Daisuke become half the starter the Red Sox envisioned when they signed him.