The Boston Red Sox are dead last in the American League this season in home runs. Boston last season led all of baseball in average runs scored per game at 5.42. It was expected there would be a slight drop off due to the retirement of David Ortiz the long-time DH who hit 541 career home runs.
However, that output has fallen off close to a full run and currently sits at 4.56 runs per game.
The team’s inability to offset poor run production with top-notch pitching, which was the organization’s plan, has kept Boston from creeping toward the top of the American League East.
Thoughts during spring training were that Boston would be a strong contender to represent the American League in the World Series and try to win for the fourth time in the past 14 seasons.
Three brilliant young stars were projected to guide the Red Sox without Ortiz in the lineup. Add to that the Cy Young Award winners Rick Porcello and David Price and offseason acquisition Chris Sale were supposed to shut down opposing batters. Sale has proved to be worth every penny, but Porcello is off to a poor start and Price has yet to pitch this season.
Much of the problem this season lies in an offense that is ranked No. 9 in the AL in runs scored and home runs are very low especially for a team that plays 81 games at the cozy confines of Fenway Park.
Mookie Betts, the runner up last year for the AL MVP has 7 home runs to lead the team, while Hanley Ramirez has 6. No one else has over 5.
Xander Bogaerts last season hit 21 but has yet to hit a home run this season. Jackie Bradley Jr. smacked 26 out of the park last season but has hit just 4 thus far and is batting .208.
Last season the team hit 208 home runs and this season has a current pace to reach 143.
The lack of power is puzzling since most of the same lineup is playing every day with the exception of Mitch Moreland who is taking Ortiz’s spot.
However, without Ortiz in the lineup, there is no hitter that worries opposing pitchers like Big Papi could.
