Take 2 Is Much Better

The Sox finally managed to climb back to .500 after more than a 48-hour wait.  At times I feel like Tom Petty was on to something.

 

Josh Beckett may not have pitched brilliantly last night, but in my eyes he made improvements over his performance from last year.  Beckett stayed with his off-speed pitches and was able to navigate some trouble spots.  He didn’t try to force his fastball down the Royals’ throats when he was in a jam.  I think that his approach last night will serve him well this year.

 

Mike Lowell had three errors last night.  Whoever made the Mike Lowell voodoo doll, please destroy it now.

 

J.D. Drew made an excellent catch on a gap shot last night.  He was well positioned, had a great jump, and showed good speed in getting to the ball.  Beckett was clearly pumped by the catch as he probably thought that two runs were about to score.  That was a play that Trot Nixon might have made three years ago, but would not have made last year.  If Drew can stay healthy, I think I’m going to really like him.  Time will tell if the Sox overpaid and if he can continue to play at this level hitting behind two of the game’s best hitters.  He’s at least a solid all-around player when in the lineup.

 

I had a thought on opening day.  If Coco Crisp starts to hit with regularity batting 8^th, he could potentially move up to 6^th in the lineup.  If memory serves me correctly, Crisp is best at 2^nd or 5^th in the lineup based on his stats from his days in Cleveland.  I imagine that batting 6^th would be close enough to 5^th for him to be just as effective.  Lowell and Jason Varitek have yet to demonstrate that they have enough bat speed to provide any offense this year.  Crisp could be the solution to provide Drew with some protection.