The Boston Red Sox came out of the gate looking good, giving a lot of reason for Red Sox Nation to be excited about the potential of this 2016 season.
The Sox took their first series against Cleveland with Price opening to a two run, 10 strikeout performance to start his career in Boston. The Sox would go on to beat up on the defending AL East Champion Toronto Blue Jays. However, that all came to a screeching halt in the first series at Fenway Park.
Price took a beating at the hands of Baltimore in the home opener. But, the real story came the next night, when Clay Buchholz took the hill and everything went wrong for the Red Sox.
Before the game, I had the opportunity to meet with esteemed Red Sox Boston Globe reporter, and now team historian, Gordon Edes before the game, where he seemed more than optimistic about this season’s potential.
His Red Sox fandom was clear, as he shared stories of David Ortiz among many other Red Sox players. However, all this transpired before the game, and who knows how that outlook would have changed after a second deflating loss at the hands of the Birds.
The Sox got off to a strong start, with Big Papi starting it with a two-run home run in the first inning. America’s oldest ballpark was instantly electrified as many of the fans may have seen their last home run off the bat of David Ortiz in his farewell season. Clay was strong until the fourth inning when JJ Hardy hammered a two-run homer of his own around Pesky Pole.
The Sox would regain control in the bottom of the fifth inning with Mookie Betts hitting a double that scored Jackie Bradley Jr, then later scoring on a wild pitch by Wright.
However, everything went south after that for Boston. The Orioles would tie the game on a two-run shot by Mark Trumbo, then take the lead on Hardy’s sacrifice fly that scored Alvarez. All three runs were charged to Clay Buchholz and that would end his night, as he didn’t record an out in the inning.
The game was lost in the seventh inning. Matt Wieters singled home Manny Machado and JJ Hardy would hit his second two run homer, and third on the night for the Orioles. The Sox would respond in the eighth with a run but it wouldn’t be enough; the Sox lost 9-5.
Overall, this loss does not mean much to a team as talented as the Red Sox this early in the season. They will recover and contend for a playoff spot. However, if Clay Buchholz doesn’t come into form soon, the Red Sox will need to acquire a number two starting pitcher.
The importance of some talent at the top of your rotation has been stressed as of late. If you want to contend for a World Series, just look at the success of teams with that talent at the top of the rotation. With the Red Sox investments in winning now, they can not afford to fall behind the pack simply for not having a second quality arm in the rotation. That’s not to say that one can’t arise between now and the All-Star break, but a trade is definitely an idea that should be entertained right now.
Sox Take a Beating from the Birds
The Red Sox lost to the Orioles in the second game of the season at Fenway.
