Boston Red Sox (23-17) at Tampa Bay Rays (20-19)
SP - Felix Doubront (3-1, 6.40) v. Alex Cobb (4-2, 3.09)
1. Ellsbury, CF
2. Victorino, RF
3. Pedroia, 2B
4. Ortiz, DH
5. Napoli, 1B
6. Nava, LF
7. Drew, SS
8. Middlebrooks, 3B
9. Saltalamacchia, C
Notes:
On May 2, just two weeks ago, the Red Sox sported a record of 20-8 which was good enough for a 2.5-game lead over the Yankees in the A.L. East and put them on pace to win roughly 116 games.
As I type today, the Red Sox have fallen to 23-17 and are tied with the Orioles for second place with the Yankees holding a 2-game lead in the division.
Is it time to hit the panic button?
Of course not. Even with this recent slide, they are on pace to win roughly 93 games. Questions remain whether or not they are good enough to achieve that many wins but it's also a sign that they are currently on track to at least compete for a playoff spot.
We'll see if the starting pitchers not named Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester can consistently offer quality outings. We'll also see if Buchholz and Lester can keep up their Cy Young worthy starts to 2013. Bullpen performance and offensive production are also issues this team will have to handle to play baseball in October.
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