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Optimist/Pessimist Debate: Can the Red Sox make a run?

by Sean Melia       June 13th, 2012 9:46 AM
  • OptimistPessimist-Debate-Can-the-Red-Sox-make-a-run
  • Credit: US PRESSWIRE

    • In the span of 18 hours this weekend the Celtics lost Game 7 to the Heat and Ireland looked like the worst team in the Euro 2012 with a 3-1 loss to Croatia. This means one thing, the optimist and pessimist inside my head are arguing about the only team that might have a small chance at success: the Red Sox.

    Can the Sox turn this season around? Part of me thinks no, while another part of me hopes so.

    Pessimist

    This team is just downright average. They have no momentum; they seem to have no leader. If you want to call Ortiz a leader, please do. My one question about Ortiz is this: has he ever defended anyone other than himself in the media? I can't think of one.

    When he gets upset and shows any sort of fire, it is only in his own defense.

    Optimist


    Credit: Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

    Ortiz is totally this leader of this team! He is the cornerstone of the two World Series titles and this season his bat has done more than anyone or anything to lead. He has 14 homers, 38 RBI, and is batting .308. He has been the only really consistent player for the team all year. He is also staying healthy; which is more than Pedroia can say.

    Besides, the Sox can turn this around because the pitching is getting better. Their starting pitcher ERA has improved with each month. April was 5.28 (not good), May was 4.89, and June is 4.25 thus far.

    Pessimist

    You want to talk about recent success? Sure the ERA is going down, but how about the win total? That's going down too.

    You want to talk about recent success? Sure the ERA is going down, but how about the win total? That's going down too. The Sox are 4-7 in June, they were swept by the Nationals in Fenway and also lost two of three to the Orioles. When the Orioles got to Fenway last week that were 3-10 in their last 13 games, hardly a hot team.

    You know what else is going down? The offensive stats. The team batting average has gone down every month. The OPS has gone down. They are scoring less runs a game. In April they scored 5.7 runs, in May 4.8, and in June thus far they have 3.9 runs. Yikes, that's not good.

    Optimist

    Um, pitching wins championships. Surprised you didn't know that. The offense will be fine once they get Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford back from injuries. Kevin Youkilis is going to totally turn it around and then the Sox can trade him for another good hitter, or maybe an arm for the bullpen.

    We've got Beckett, Buchholz, and Lester at the top of the rotation.

    Buchholz had a bad start, but his last 3 starts were awesome: 3-0 with a complete game and an ERA of 1.06.

    Pessimist

    I guess you might call them the next "Big Three" huh? I don' trust any of those guys. Beckett seems disinterested for the most part, though maybe a good month will make him trade bait with Youkilis.

    Buchholz has been solid, no denying that. Can he sustain it? Maybe. He always seems to get hurt. Lester is slowly turning into the first Washingtonian with a Texas accent.

    Optimist


    Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

    Buchholz is going to be absolutely fine! He was 6-2 last year and then had back surgery. In 2010 he was 17-7 and a Cy Young contender, finishing 6th in the voting. His first two months were rocky because he was trying to figure out how to pitch again, it had been a while.

    Beckett had a fire lit under him, and now he is ready to lead this team. Andrew Bailey is also coming back to the bullpen. Felix Doubront has been outstanding as a number 5 starter.

    This Sox team is also going to be the beneficiary of an extra Wild Card. They are 5 games out of the second Wild Card. They will be in the hunt the entire season. Their pitching is turning around, and when they get Ellsbury back, along with Crawford and Bailey, this team will go on a big run.

    Pessimist

    Dating back to September 2011, this team has won 37 games and lost 53. That is a 91 games stretch of awful baseball. They have lost 7 of their last 11 games and do not seem to have a pulse. They handled the Daniel Bard issue poorly, and now he is a total mess. They have overpaid players that are not producing: Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, and Beckett to name a few.

    They are in last place in the AL East, and you're talking about the playoffs? Let's do some quick math. The Sox are 30-32, they have 100 games left.

    90 wins is a very safe bet to grab the second Wild Card. That means the Sox need to go 60-40 over the course of the next 100 games. To put that into perspective, they've lost 53 of their last 91 games dating back to September. It's a high mountain to climb.

    Optimist

    They can do it! They have the talent, they have the players coming back, they have the experience, and they have some pieces to make a trade. Their momentum is going to carry them into a great summer.

    Pessimist

    Yeah, yeah. They stink, and there does not seem to be any heart in this team. They aren't likable, and they aren't fun to watch.

    Optimist

    They'll be fun to watch and likable when they start winning.

    What did you think? Leave a comment

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