Gotta Be Starting Somewhere

Posted by Mike Giardi May 4, 2008 at 9:47 pm

I think that’s a Michael Jackson tune. Maybe not. I know this though. I’m not looking it up. Anyway…

Pitching, pitching and more pitching. That’s the story of the Red Sox’s just-completed 5-and-1 homestand. The starting rotation playing a solid game of “anything you can do, I can do better.” Just look at it.

Lester 8 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 6 K’s, 4 BB (1-0 W, ND)

Matsuzaka 7 IP, 2 H’s, 0 R, 4 K’s, 2 BB (2-1 W, ND)

Wakefield 7 IP, 6 H’s, 3 R’s, 0 K’s, 4 BB (3-0 L)

Buchholz 5.1 IP, 5 H’s, 1R, 6 K’s, 4 BB (7-3, W)

Beckett 8 IP, 7 H’s, 4 R’s, 5 K’s, 1 BB (12-4, W)

Lester 6 IP, 4 H’s, 1 R, 5 K’s, 3 BB (7-3, W)

When the worst outing they get from “The 5″ - statistically - is courtesy of Josh Beckett, life is awfully good.

There’s a tendency for Sox fans to obsess about what they don’t have. Those 80-some odd years of futility can have that kind of impact. But if we’ve learned anything from these two very recent championships, its that you can never have enough arms. Right now, with this group of starters, and the possibility of another Justin Masterson sighting (nevermind the potential of a healthy Colon), the Sox are in an enviable position as we get deeper into May, and get into real baseball.

The only real concerns through the first six weeks is David Ortiz’s knee (more at some point on this very blog) and that bullpen. Manny Delcarmen failing to get it done again today, forcing Okajima in quicker and sooner than Terry Francona would like. The MDC holds the key, but right now, he may get grounded until he regains last season’s sharpness. Actually, check that. He deserves to be put in a lesser role. For now.

In the meantime, Craig Hansen has been recalled from Pawtucket, and perhaps this is finally the year the former number one pick gets it. He’s got a spaghetti strand for a body, but that right arm can be electric. Truthfully, and I think Theo has admitted this on our air and elsewhere, Hansen getting rushed to the Bigs really stunted his growth, really played with his head. But he’s been fantastic in Pawtucket, and that one outing in Boston was pretty electric, save for the Kotchman bomb. No idea how long Hansen will stay here on his second tour of duty, but if he throws like that, he’ll be here through the playoffs and in a key role.

Wait. Did I just write playoffs? Good grief. We’re only in May…