4/6/14 Postgame
I will make this one short, as I didn't see much of the game today and don't have much time as it is.
Today's Summary - Sox are able to pull off the victory today over the Royals, 5-1, thanks in part to a phenomenal performance by Chris Sale and a four-run outburst in the top of the ninth by the offense. Sox bring it back to .500 at 3-3, six games into the season.
Positive takeaway:
Contribution from many - One of the trends I'm noticing so far is that I am seeing large contribution across the board from the whole team. The pitching (namely, Chris Sale) stepped up today. Flowers continued his offensive success with a 1-4, 2 RBI performance today. Gillaspie rallied with two doubles off of Shields. Alexei had a 2-4 performance including a 2B and 2 RBIs. Leury Garcia looked like a 10-year veteran on the basepaths in the top of the 9th. Avisail Garcia came up with a brilliant grab defensively. All in all, I am seeing a lot of contribution across the board, and that bodes well as the season will continue.
Negative takeaway:
The little things - One other thing i'm noticing is that there seems to be a lot of mental lapses on the field. Two errors were committed today, and I personally consider the botched double play in the bottom of the 9th to be an error in my book. Gillaspie looked like he had never bunted when he popped it straight up in the top of the 9th. For those of you reading who have ever played baseball, you would know that you have taught to NEVER drop the barrel of the bat on a bunt like he did. These are the kind of things that change a win to a loss in a one-run game. Look at 2013 - the Sox were 24-36 in one-run games, largely due to "the little things." I expect that the Sox will better that statistic this season, but it starts with fixing the little things first.
Series vs. Rockies Preview:
The Rockies have one of the most explosive offenses thus far this season, and I don't anticipate that will change in the upcoming days. Obviously the pitching is going to need to be on point against a sharp offense, but I anticipate the series will be determined on how the Rockies pitching and the Sox offense perform. The Rockies and Sox pitching staffs stand at the third and fourth worst ERAs to date, while the Rockies offense remains atop a large portion of the offensive categories and the Sox offense ranks in the top 5-10 positions. Expect long, high scoring games that will come down to several crucial moments. I look for the Rockies to take 2 out of the 3 games, but remain hopeful that the Sox can take the series and exit Denver above .500.













