"The Red Sox have been beating the f**k out of teams lately" - Boston Red Sox turn their terrible early season around to inch closer to .500, assessing the secret of their recent success
The Boston Red Sox started the 2022 season with an abysmal record of 10-19. The team looked destined to be sellers by the deadline in a competitive American League East.
Since then, the Red Sox have gone 11-5 and have improved their record to 21-24.
"I'm not gonna say it, but the Red Sox have been beating the f**k out of teams lately. Just absolutely throttling major league franchises." - @ Jared Carrabis
So what has been the secret to their recent success? Let's dive into what has turned the Red Sox season around.
Boston Red Sox turning season around; assessing the secret of their recent success
The Boston Red Sox's turnaround can be credited in large part to their offense. J.D. Martinez and Trevor Story have been red-hot in the month of May.
"TREVOR STORY WITH HIS SEVENTH HOME RUN IN HIS LAST SEVEN GAMES AND HIS TWENTIETH (!!!!) RUN DRIVEN IN. THAT IS INSANE." - @ Jared Carrabis
While Trevor Story has stolen much of the spotlight, J.D. Martinez has quietly put up monster numbers, leading the American League in batting average.
"Over the 5-game span that Trevor Story has hit 6 homers and driven in 17 runs, JD Martinez has (I guess) quietly hit SIX FORTY-SEVEN with a 1.508 OPS. He leads the AL in average (.366) and is hitting .429 with an 1.134 OPS over his last 20 games." - @ Jared Carrabis
In eight of the last nine Red Sox games, the team has scored at least five or more runs. This is definitely a recipe for success. In all, the Red Sox have averaged 4.78 runs per game, which ranks as the best in the American League. If the Red Sox offense stays hot like this, then the pitching will just need to be mediocre for them to continue to win ball games.
The Red Sox pitching continues to be a major issue for the team, though. Last night, the Red Sox held an 8 to 2 lead going into the top of the seventh inning before the bullpen gave up 10 runs over the next three innings to lose to the Baltimore Orioles 12 to 8.
The pitching staff was shaky at times last year, and it appears to be similar this season. The Red Sox's team ERA sits at 3.99, which ranks 19th in all of baseball. If the Red Sox want to get back into postseason contention, then they will likely have to hit their way in.