The Boston Red Sox may have lost on Opening Day, and in heart-breaking fashion, but there were positive signs that should be heartening to fans like me.
Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester
Wikimedia Commons
There were certainly some negative aspects to the Red Sox 3-2 walk-off loss to the Detroit Tigers on April 5. The Boston offense struggled, but that is understandable when you are facing the reigning Cy Young and MVP Award winner in Justin Verlander. The hastily-constructed back end of the Red Sox bullpen was a trouble spot as well, with set up man Mark Melancon and closer Alfredo Aceves giving the game back to the Tigers in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The old baseball cliché, however, is that the season is a marathon rather than a sprint. Taking the long view, there were aspects to the Opening Day loss that bode well for the Red Sox prospects over a 162-game season.
Lester sharp
Starter Jon Lester was in mid-season form for the Red Sox, scattering six hits and allowing just a single run over seven innings. Boston needs Lester to anchor the staff. The club's epic September collapse last season is indicative of what can happen to the rotation as a whole when Lester is not at his best.
The solid start was not a foregone conclusion for the Red Sox lefty ace. Going into 2012, he was just 5-7 for his career in the month of April, with an ERA above 4.00. For most of the opener, he matched the best starter in the league pitch-for-pitch, holding the prolific Tigers offense scoreless until the seventh inning.
Comeback
The Red Sox were persistent. Once Verlander left the game, the Boston offense kicked into gear for the first time all day. Detroit closer Jose Valverde registered saves in all 49 of his opportunities last season, and it would have been easy for the Red Sox to mentally check out once he entered the game. Instead, they rallied for a pair of runs to tie the game in the ninth.
Fourth outfielders
After the red hot spring training that Cody Ross turned in at Fort Myers, you would not have been surprised if he has been the offensive hero. Instead, it was Ryan Sweeney who got the key hit, a run-scoring triple in the ninth inning. The Red Sox need these two guys to play well, especially while Carl Crawford is on the disabled list.
Heart of the order
The ninth-inning rally began with a Dustin Pedroia double, a single by Adrian Gonzalez, and a sacrifice fly by David Ortiz. These mainstays of the Red Sox batting order all had terrific seasons at the plate last year, and will need to match or exceed those efforts in 2012 if the Red Sox are to break their playoff drought.
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Rick Blaine, an award-winning broadcaster and columnist, is a lifelong Red Sox fan. Follow him on Twitter @RickBlaineCT.
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