Last night's Sox versus Yankees MLB opener went a little differently then most people would have expected. It was a slug fest in which neither ace made it through the sixth inning. We saw a combined 24 hits and 16 runs scored. Every hitter reached base at least once except for Ellsbury. And the Yankees bullpen imploded after Sabathia left the bases jammed. Without diving any further into the game details, lets just separate the good from the bad, in my Red Sox-bias opinion of course. (And ya, that picture is the mutha fuckin D R E)
The Good
- The Bats - Every hitter in the lineup brought the wood, with the exception of Jacoby (of course). Only Ortiz and Ellsbury went hitless, but Ortiz got some good swings in and didn't go down swinging, which is certainly a better start than last year. The runs and RBIs were spread up and down the lineup, further proving Theo's primarily defensive lineup also has the potential to be a top ten offensive team without a true big bat.
- Newbies - Beltre, Scutaro, and Cameron not only played errorless, clean defense all game, but went a combined 5 for 9 and drove in three of the teams nine runs from the bottom of the order. Scoot looks like he is going to thrive in Boston, Beltre seemed very comfortable, and Fenway definitely embraced Cameron in his first appearance. Personally I hate JD and Ortiz, and would have them hitting 7/8 and move up Beltre and Cameron, but I'm sure in time that will be tinkered with by Tito.
- The Pen - I would've bet a few grand that Schoeneweis would not be the first arm out of the bullpen this season. But not only did he follow Beckett's shit performance, he pitched a smooth, hitless inning with a K and nice transition to Ramirez who proceeded to blow the lead. After Ramon, the Okajima-Bard-Papelbon final three innings were as nail biting as a funeral. All three closed out what was an awesome end to the game, giving Red Sox nation confidence that at least our bullpen is better than the Yankees.
The Bad
- Beckett - First game of the year, shaking off the cobwebs, blah blah blah. Who gives a shit about the excuses. An ace rises above all that and pitches lights out in a nationally televised home opener against the defending world champions. An ace does not leave before the end of the fifth inning. And he absolutely does not give up back to back jacks with two outs in the second inning. Beckett's performance could fall into the ugly category, but because Sabathia was almost as bad I'll give him the benefit of the doubt this once.
- Ramon - So he gave up 2 runs, but they were 2 key runs. Ramirez needs to be solid in the pen, and giving up a walk and two hits while getting only one out is not a good start. He is certainly capable of being the stopper he has been prior to this year, but last night he didn't show it. Thankfully, the rest of the pen picked up his slack.
The Ugly
- Jacoby - In a lineup that hit well in its first game but still isn't solidified as formidable, Jacoby getting on base is going to be key. Going 0-5 is completely unacceptable, especially now that the fielding value he had in center field is gone. Jacoby is going to get the hook at the leadoff spot real quick with performances like that, especially if Scutaro hits as he did last night.
- Bard - Ok, so this is a reach because there wasn't enough flaws to call ugly last night (except on the part of the Yankees of course). But being at the game with a awkward angle perspective, Bard looked all over the place with his pitches. He threw 7 of his 17 pitches for strikes, which isn't what you want out of your eighth inning guy. Maybe the umpire was squeezing him, but he seemed to be all over the place. If he can get that 98 mph fastball over the plate at a higher rate, he will be virtually untouchable.
Needless to say, although Beckett sucked and it took a while for the bats to come alive, it was a good opening day win for the Sox, and already showed us that the Yankees pen will probably be a weak point for them this year. For the Sox, they can only improve if Ellsbury can get on base and Lester/Lackey are lights out in the next two games. But all in all, 1 game, 1-0. That's all that matters.
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