The Boston Red Sox will have a good offense this season — they’re too talented not to. But the bats were far from the only reason the Sox began the 2018 season by winning three of four …
The Red Sox recovered from a tough opening day loss on Thursday to take 3 out of 4 from the division rival Rays. Dominant performances from each of Boston’s starters made up for a lack of output from what promises to be a dangerous lineup.
While Sox fans eagerly anticipate the slugging power of recent acquisition JD Martinez, it was Xander Bogaerts who did much of the heavy lifting this weekend, going 8/17 with a HR and 4 runs scored. The lack of offense shouldn’t be a reason for concern, at least not yet, as the bats of Mookie Betts, Rafael Devers and Martinez will surely come alive soon.
Outside of the epic collapse by the bullpen Thursday, the Red Sox pitching staff has been nothing short of phenomenal, allowing just three runs over the final three games of the Rays’ series. Chris Sale and a rejuvenated David Price could very well become the most fearsome 1-2 punch in the MLB. And with the Yankees recently adding the bat of slugger Giancarlo Stanton to join Rookie of the Year Aaron Judge, the Sox will need all the quality pitching they can get.