Young Blood

David Ortiz hasn’t played a game in June. Schill hasn’t played a game in 2008. Manny has been in and out of the lineup, and at various times this year, Beckett, Lowell, Dice-K and Buckholz, have all been on the disabled list. Yet as the season passes the half-way mark, the Sox have maintained their .600 record, and remain competitive for a spot in the post-season. So how have they managed to do so well this year?

How about the job Justin Masterson has done? Going 4-1, with an ERA below 3.5. Or Jon Lester, now 6-3, but with a single loss over his last 14 starts? Over that time, Lester has arguably been the best pitcher on the staff. Right now, with the exception of the ageless Wakefield, the rest of the Sox starters are all in their 20s. A couple aren’t yet shaving. In fact, were Wake to get hurt, after Buckholz returns from the DL, the Sox could send a five-man rotation to the mound, with Beckett at 29 being the old man on the staff. And the same is true in the bullpen, with Pap, and Delcarmen, and Hansen, and Aardsma all still under 30. The tough part will be keeping this staff together in the years to come, as these kids become free agents,

That’s not to suggest that the Sox haven’t been producing at the plate. The first half of this month, Drew was on fire. He’s cooled off over the last week, although he did have a three-run homer last night, but despite the quiet week, is batting almost .360 for the month. However, his hot bat has kept the opposition honest, and prevented anyone from loading up on right-handed pitchers, with Ortiz not playing. Pedroia too has been hot in June, batting .333 for the month, but with 26 hits over the past two weeks. Pedroia, of course, is another kid; and the Sox threaten to win Rookie of the Year two years in a row, with Jacoby Ellsbury in center field. Which leads me to the next observation: Manny has been filling in at DH, with Papi hurt, and that has put Drew, Coco, and Ellsbury in the outfield together. That’s a pretty good defensive outfield, and considering Drew’s production this year, as well as the fact that Coco has come alive at the plate, the Sox have enhanced their defense without really giving up that much at the plate. The real tricky part is figuring where to put Manny and Papi in the same lineup. Can’t really be done, given that Sox also want Youk and Lowell in the same lineup. Otherwise, Papi could maybe play first, and Manny DH. So it looks like the defense will suffer, although really, a bit of a defensive sacrifice is well worth the advantage of having Manny and Papi batting back to back in the middle of the lineup.

But the point is that the young guys have made the difference for the Sox this year. And we didn’t even mention Jed Lowrie, or Chris Smith, or this knuckleballer Zink down at Pawtucket.