State of the Sox - 4/10/24
Trevor Story getting walked off by Alex Cora, per ESPN News Services
Tonight, the Red Sox play their 12th game of the season, taking on the Baltimore Orioles. Had you told me that they’d be going into it a half game ahead of Baltimore in the standings, I’d never believe you. But here we stand, second in the East, against all odds. Had you told me the Sox were in such a good position because of their pitching, I absolutely would not have believed you. Yet the Red Sox go into tonight with a 1.72 (yes, 1.72) ERA, far and away the best in the majors. Brayan Bello, the de facto ace, has been the shakiest in the rotation, however he has still been fine – should you remove his numbers from the rest of the staff’s, the team ERA drops to a 1.29. The bats have been fine – the team sits smack dab in the middle of the MLB in both runs scored and OPS. Tyler O’Neill has been raking, already going yard 6 times, while Reese McGuire has been surprisingly productive both behind the plate and beside it.
From a front office perspective, it’s been extremely encouraging to see Breslow and Co. locking up the team’s good, young talent, with both Brayan Bello and Ceddane Rafaela receiving 6+ year deals that could soon look like bargains. The focus now must shift to Triston Casas, who may not be willing to sign a contract of that length at this stage in his young career. Now – for the bad news. The Red Sox’ injury troubles continue as it has been announced that Trevor Story will be undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, leaving a giant gap in the middle of the infield. Story’s time in Boston has been anything but a fairytale, and, at this point, there’s little he can do to justify his contract. In another tough hit, Nick Pivetta, who has been lights out through his first two starts, will be moved to the 15-day injured list with a strain in his pitching elbow. In a rotation that is already short-staffed, it’s concerning to see front-end guys go down with elbow strain in the first few weeks of the season.
Speaking generally, the start the Sox have gotten off to and the extensions given out to Bello and Rafaela are very encouraging, but I haven’t bought in yet. The performance of the pitching staff currently is unsustainable, so I’d like to see the bats step it up a bit – particularly guys like Devers, Casas and Yoshida. Stay alert, though, folks. This team might be better than we had thought.