A Better May

A month ago, after a dismal April, it began to look like the Celtics were Boston’s only hope this year. But while we are still watching the Cs as they pursue an 18th banner (very big game tonight in LA), the Sox have come to life, and have given the Nation something else to look forward to in the coming summer months.

The first sign of life was Papi’s return to the lineup. He had a terrible April, almost as if he hadn’t shown up for spring training. But in May he batted .363 with ten homers and 27 RBIs. Good enough to earns player of the month plaudits from someone. More importantly, good enough to resume knocking in runs when Pedroia or Youk got on base ahead of him. Other bats who had started slowly, Beltre for example, also came to life in May. Baseball more than any other sport lends itself to peaks and valleys of performance. Even Albert Pujols is slumping this year. But Papi’s slump was particularly troubling as it lent itself to speculation about his age, and the possible decline of his skills, or even worries that his prowess in Boston had somehow been linked with Manny and PEDs. It’s fair to say that no one ever knows for sure anymore, but I think Papi’s May gave the entire team a psychological lift.

The other key to Boston’s turnaround was the young starters. Lester was expected to assume the mantel of team ace, but began slowly this year. He too needed a couple weeks more in spring training. But over the past nine starts, he is 7-0. His ERA is around 2.7, and opposing batters are hitting under .200. That’s the best in the league among regular starters. And Lester is not alone this year, as Clay Buckholz has finally shed his sophomore slump, and has begun to live up to the promise he showed when he first came up in 2007. Buckholz actually has the lowest ERA of any of the starters, in fact second in the AL, under 2.4. Of late, these two guys have made it easy for the team to win, because they’ve gone late into games surrendering very few runs, giving the bats time to put some numbers up, and giving the bullpen some much needed rest. Now all we need is for Dice-K to pitch consistently. He has had a couple great outings this year. He no-hit the Phillies for eight innings; and he went seven against the Blue Jays with nine Ks and no walks. That’s the key for him. If he could just cut out the walks, he’d go much deeper into games, and cut down on the earned runs significantly. Lastly, we need Beckett to get healthy. If those two things happened, our starters could match up with any staff in the league. I know - wishful thinking. But at the same time, not impossible.

That leaves the bullpen, which remains a big question mark. Pap is having his worst year, and that’s weird, because he is soon to become a free agent, and one would expect the opposite as the chance for big contracts becomes more imminent. Oki is no longer as effective; it seems like the rest of the league is finally figuring him out. His stuff was never overpowering, just very different. Bard has looked good with the exception of a couple outings; some think he may be the closer in waiting, if Pap sells himself on the open market. And Delcarmen, although inconsistent, may become the new Mike Timlin. A fastball throwing righty, dependable, reliable, even if not spectacular.

The upshot of all this is that the Sox have gone 22-10 since early May, playing tough teams, including everyone in the AL East over that stretch. They closed what looked like an unbridgeable chasm between them and the Division leading Rays and Yankees. They’re still in third place, and I’d rather see them in any other division in all of baseball. But if they continue to play well; if the big bats keep knocking in runs; if Lester and Buckholz and even one more starter keep shutting down the opposition; they won’t have to worry about anyone other than themselves. So let’s hope June looks more like May, and that April fades into the distant past.