Bridge Year?

I guess we should have expected this. The baseball gods that were smiling on the Red Sox throughout the 2013 season are suddenly sporting frowns. The team’s 5-9 record through Tuesday ties Houston for the worst in the AL. Instead of walkoff wins, we are getting walkoff losses. Clutch hits have become discouraging popups that leave men in scoring position. The “power by committee” of last year, not surprisingly, is not happening.

This season’s April reminds me a bit of 1996. The previous year, the Sox had won the AL East in a strike-shortened season. Newcomer Tim Wakefield led the staff with a 16-8 mark and 6 complete games. Erik Hansen was 15-5 in what would turn out to be his only year in Boston. Though Roger Clemens was limited to 23 starts and a 10-5 record, unheralded reliever Stan Belinda was 8-1 with 10 saves. Mo Vaughn captured the MVP with 39 homers, a league-leading 126 rbi’s and a .300 average. It was definitely a team of overachievers. Fortunes changed dramatically in 96 when they lost 19 of their first 25 games. Though they recovered to finish 85-77, the poor start cost manager Kevin Kennedy his job.

Though the Sox haven’t hit for power, they can take some consolation in their pitching staff, which as of Monday sported a 3.76 ERA. Jake Peavy and Jon Lester have excellent ERA’s, though the other three starters have been inconsistent. They must also remember that Shane Victorino, Will Middlebrooks, Dustin Pedroia and now Mike Napoli have suffered injuries. All these men made significant contributions to the Miracle Year of 2013.

Although it is much to early to throw in the towel, the Sox and their fans must realize that this could end up being the “bridge year” that was expected a season ago. It might be a year that the team finds out if Xander Bogearts and Jackie Bradley Jr can make the grade as regulars and if well-touted pitching prospects like Brandon Workman and Allen Webster can crack the rotation. The offense will probably rebound when Victorino and Middlebrooks return. However, we are not talking about Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays here.

This season John Farrell will probably have a real chance to prove his worth as a manager. There were times in ’13 that he seemed to push a button and things would turn out okay. If that doesn’t happen, will he have the patience of a Terry Francona or implode like a Bobby Valentine?We should see pretty soon.