Where has the confidence gone? It is a valid question. The Sox problems in 2014 are well-chronicled- subpar hitting, especially with men on base, shaky fielding, an erratic bullpen, and lack of base stealing. But one thing comes through. Unlike 2013, they don’t seem to go out expecting to win.
Not many prognosticators picked the Bosox to repeat as World Champions. There are a number of reasons for that. But as Series winners, there are certain expectations. Even though they trailed by only 2 games in the competitive (or mediocre) AL East, their 17-17 record as of May 9 has left many fans disappointed.
Let’s start with the early innings. Rarely have the Sox ended the first with a lead. More often than not, they have trailed. That fact puts more pressure on the starter. It is probably not a coincidence that Jon Lester gave his best effort in years (1 hit, 15 strikeouts) on a day when Dustin Pedroia provided a first-inning grand slam. Later in the game, relievers have often been called upon to protect leads like 2-1, 3-1, 3-2, etc. With recent problems encountered by normally reliable Jinichi Tazawa, Chris Capuano, and, occasionally, Koji Uehara, the burden falls on the offense to produce more runs. It often hasn’t happened. Tuesday night, for example, Boston took a 3-1 lead after three, only to go scoreless for the next 8 innings with the familiar stat of 1 for 12 with men in scoring position.
The Sox’ miscues in the field (after a fine 2013 season) could also be symptoms of pressure. Any athlete from little league to the majors will fumble or throw away balls if they are pressing, even a tiny bit. Running into outs on the bases, which has happened often, could come from a desire, expessed by Will Middlebrooks, to “try to make things happen”, as the team was facing another tough loss. Many possible rallies have ended this way.
Watching the team on NESN one night this past week, one could notice the difference from last year. In the ninth inning of a tie game with the winning run on second, the ’13 squad would be on the top step of the dugout, cheering for Mike Napoli to produce a walkoff win. Instead, all I could see were worried looks. One more time, a ground ball ended the threat.
The Sox, from John Farrell on down, should realize that this year will be difficult, if for no other reason that everything seemed to fall into place in 2013 and this seldom happens twice. The team should be less worried about where they finish in the standings than remaining a group worth rooting for and erasing the bad memories of 2011-12.
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