Red Sox Offer Little Resistance to Orioles, Yankees

Posted by on Oct 1st, 2012

Red Sox news

Clay Buchholz was torched for eight runs and six hits in 1.2 innings on Monday

Even with Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury in a depleted lineup, the Red Sox have little offense. Remove them, and you have a lineup card that is reminiscent of what Arnie Beyeler filled out at Triple-A Pawtucket this season.

While the PawSox captured the International League championship, the Red Sox are far from even resembling the club that hovered around.500 for most of the middle of the season. Along with Pedroia and Ellsbury, the Red Sox are minus David Ortiz and Will Middlebrooks (who have been out for the season for several weeks now due to injuries), and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez was traded to the Dodgers in August.

The Red Sox were 7-19 in September, a year after finishing the final month of the season with a 7-20 mark. Over the weekend, they were swept in a three-game series at Baltimore, which entered Monday tied with the New York Yankees atop the American League East. On Monday night, Boston was pummeled again -this time by CC Sabathia and the Yankees, 10-2.

Clay Buchholz, who pitched well in the second half of the season, was reached for eight runs and six hits in 1.2 innings on Monday. The Yankees erupted for nine runs in the second. Of course, Buchholz likely saw the lineup authored by Bobby Valentine and felt limited vigor when he stepped on the mound.

The Red Sox lineup on Monday featured:

  1. Pedro Ciriaco, 2B, .286
  2. Daniel Nava, LF, .247
  3. Cody Ross, RF, .267
  4. Mauro Gomez, 1B, .275
  5. Ryan Lavarnway, DH, .166
  6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C, .224
  7. Danny Valencia, 3B, .190
  8. Che-Hsuan Lin, CF, .250
  9. Jose Iglesias, SS, .117

Lavarnway,  Saltalamacchia and Ciriaco are the only players among that group who are almost assured spots on the 2013 opening day roster for the Red Sox. The duo is expected to share catching duties next season, and the Red Sox are excited about Lavarnway’s “Mike Napoli-esque” power potential while Saltalamacchia has belted 25 home runs this season. Ciriaco has emerged as a productive utility player.

The Red Sox would like to bring back Ross, who has 22 home runs this season and is eligible for free agency. Gomez has a chance to earn a reserve role for the Sox next season, but chances are he will join Iglesias at Pawtucket while Nava, Lin and Valencia could be let go this off-season.

A lineup like that is not a sweet vision for Valentine, Red Sox fans or Buck Showalter and the Orioles.

Undoubtedly the Red Sox would relish the chance to knock the Yankees from the American League East title to the wild card, but in the remaining two games there is little Valentine can do to craft a more threatening lineup, unless Ellsbury (lat strain) and Pedroia (potentially broken finger) are able to play.