BOS Vs CHC Series Recap: Are The Red Sox Good?
At the start of a previous Red Sox blog, I posed the question “How bad are the Red Sox?”. Now, I am beginning to wonder if the Red Sox can keep this season competitive throughout the summer. Obviously the current injuries of Casas, Story, Bello, Giolito, Pivetta, and Whitlock will limit the ceiling for the 2024 Boston Red Sox, but I am starting to think that the Sox could avoid 5th place in the AL East.
I think that Red Sox fans should feel better about the team now than we did after the sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Here is why…..
DEFENSE:
Positives:
While Enmanuel Valdez does not play perfect baseball at 2nd base, he has done a great job of filling in while Vaughn Grissom has been getting ready. Grissom is expected to arrive in Boston on Tuesday April 30th following a rehab stint in Worcester. Grissom should (on paper) be an upgrade both defensively and offensively over Valdez.
Ceddanne Rafaela is starting to look like a natural shortstop. I have always been a big fan of Rafaela (even before he got to the major leagues), but he looks better now than he ever has.
Wilyer Abreu keeps getting better and better in the outfield. I previously compared his defense to Hunter Renfroe, but Wilyer has since proven that he is a far superior defender than Renfroe ever was.
Bobby Dalbec (aside from poor positioning on the first run allowed in game 3) is an elite defender on both corners.
Tyler O’Neill has looked good in left field since returning from injury last week.
Jarren Duran has not been a problem in center field. This is a positive trend.
Negatives:
David Hamilton needs to be DFAd. Why is he still on the roster? I don’t want to hear about his “defensive versatility”, because he has been equally terrible at both middle infield positions this year.
STARTING PITCHING:
Positives:
Tanner Houck is blooming into an ace right in front of our eyes. He is finally putting it all together, and that is great to see. I’m glad that I’ve referred to him as my favorite Red Sox pitcher for a couple years now.
As much as I dislike watching bullpen games, Josh Winckowski gave the team a chance to win after getting through the first three innings of game 2 scoreless.
Make it stand out
Houck: 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 9 K
Negatives:
Kutter Crawford finally looked human. Not the end of the world. This was going to happen at some point. I am interested to see how he will bounce back.
THE PEN:
Positives:
Pablo Reyes finishes his Red Sox career with a season ERA of 0.00 after allowing one hit in the 9th inning of a blowout.
Joely Rodriguez allowed 3 runs in game 1…. However, this prompted the team to designate Joely Rodriguez for assignment, which is awesome. Addition by subtraction.
Zack Kelly, Justin Slaten, Brennan Bernardino, Cam Booser, and Kenley Jansen all had a clean series. The Red Sox will need more of this going forward.
Negatives:
Chris Martin fell apart on Sunday Night Baseball, allowing two baserunners before giving up a game tying three run homer to deep center field. I have completely lost all my trust in Martin going forward, which is a shame. The Red Sox really need him to be (at least close to) as good as he was in 2023.
AT THE PLATE:
Positives:
Ceddanne Rafaela is finding ways to make an impact at the plate. He now leads the Red Sox with SEVENTEEN RBI through the first month of the season. This was punctuated by a 7 RBI performance in the 17-0 blowout in the middle game of the series. Rafaela continues to be one of the most fun players to watch on this whole team. If he can stay hot at the plate, he could be a special player in this league.
Wilyer Abreu is another guy who I was incredibly excited about coming into this year, and it is clear to see why. He looks so comfortable at the plate. I feel good every time he steps into the box.
Tyler O’Neill is an impact bat, even when he isn’t having his best day. He is very important to the Red Sox lineup, and that will not change going forward.
Rob Refsnyder is scorching hot. He is hitting both right-handed and left-handed pitching effectively, which is something he has never done in his career. Hopefully he can keep this up for a while, but I wouldn’t count on it.
Duran struggled in game one, but bounced back in both games 2 and 3. Duran is an important part of this offense, so it’s vital he gets on base.
Rafael Devers is so impotant to this lineup. He had a good series. Thank goodness he is back.
Make it stand out
Rafaela: 4-4, HR, 7 RBI
(in game 2 alone)
Negatives:
Bobby Dalbec didn’t have a horrible series at the plate, but his numbers were inflated a bit during the blowout. I value his defense on the corners more than most, but he will need to start putting together better at bats if he is going to stick around on the major league roster.
Enmanuel Valdez did not have a good series at the plate. With Grissom coming back, he will need to step it up if he wants to stay on the major league roster.
Connor Wong had a decent game 3, but failed to recreate his remarkable success from the previous series. This isn’t anything to worry about, but I would have loved for him to stay as hot as he was last week.
Masataka Yoshida has to be hurt…. right? Why did he only get TWO at bats in this series?
Overall, great series for the Red Sox. Despite the reality of the AL East, this is a fun team. I anticipate some bad days in the future, but games like these will give fans a reason to keep tuning in.
