This wasn’t how it was supposed to start. After signing slugging first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and five-tool outfielder Carl Crawford, I am positive that Theo Epstein did not envision losing three in a row to the Rangers on opening weekend. Nobody thought Crawford would be 0-7 to begin his career in a Boston uniform. But should this really have been a surprise? Their offense was already pretty darn good before the two signings so it’s safe to say hitting wasn’t the area they needed an upgrade in. It was their rotation that needed an overhaul. John Lackey had a terrible year; Josh Beckett was non-existent, as was Dice-K. Yet, they made no attempts this off-season to ensure pitching wouldn’t hold them back from being the top team in the AL East. So after going 0-3 to start the year, let’s look at the numbers:
- 15.1 Number of innings the starters pitched over the weekend.
- 18 Number of runs given up by Jon Lester, John Lackey, and Clay Bucholtz.
- 9 Number of homeruns allowed by the aforementioned pitchers.
- 1.2 Strikeout to walk ratio for the pitching staff as a whole.
- 4.5 Strikeouts per nine innings for the entire Boston staff.
There is some good news however… no blown saves.
This is a staff that is seemingly in shambles as they exit Texas. The offense is going to be there, but the pitching is incredibly suspect at this point. Not a lot can be told from the first three games of a 162 game season, but this appears to be a good indicator of times to come in New England.
Jackman
Kevin Jackman 
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