Colossal Misfire

After getting shelled for nine runs in just 3.1 innings pitched Saturday, John Lackey failed to get the Sox back on course in Texas. Boston is now 0-2 for the first time since 2005. 

The 2011 season was not supposed to begin like this for the Boston Red Sox.

After an injury-riddled 2010 campaign in which nearly every contributing member of the team spent a prolonged spell on the disabled list, the Red Sox powered up in the offseason in a big way. Shelling out millions, the Sox broke the bank and sacrificed the farm system in order to acquire two of the greatest players in the game today: Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford (as well as some much-needed bullpen help in Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler). 

As a result, the wait for Opening Day had become agonizing. All winter, Sox fans found themselves drooling over the lineup possibilities. For months, their heads have been spinning as dreams of a Pedroia-Crawford-Youkilis-Gonzalez-Ortiz middle of the order seemed like a modern-day reincarnation of the Murderer's Row. The pitching staff looked strong enough to rival Philadelphia's, with ace Jon Lester anchoring a rotation of John Lackey, Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett and Dice-K. 

All the while, the national media pundits built the Sox up to be one of the greatest teams ever before they even played a game. Analysts on Baseball Tonight threw out the possibility of 100 wins. Sports Illustrated, like many others, picked the Sox to win the World Series. 

But, as they say, you don't win games based on potential, you win based on production. 

And for the first two games of the 2011 season, the Red Sox have failed to do so. 

In the season opener, Lester went just 5.1 innings and gave up a robust five runs. Not the kind of production you look for from an ace. However, the Sox did battle back to tie the score 5-5 in the 8th when Ortiz launched a clutch homer to the opposite field. Regardless, Boston caved in horribly as Daniel Bard got lit up, allowing four runs in just 2/3 of an innings. The end result: a 9-5 Opening Day loss. 

"It's a tough one," admitted Bard after coughing up the game. "We battled all day to stay in that game. It [stinks] to be the one who gives it away."

In game two, things got even worse. The notoriously lackluster John Lackey got absolutely shelled, giving up nine earned runs in just 3.2 innings pitched. After shelling out over $80 million to acquire Lackey prior to last season, Red Sox fans are growing increasingly skeptical of the former Angel. Unless he turns it around real soon, the Lackey signing could go down as the worst contract ever shelled out by GM Theo Epstein, right up there with the Julio Lugo fiasco in 2006. 

The Sox could never recover from Lackey's shelling, eventually losing 12-5. 

"You just wipe this one away and go back to work, get my work in between starts and go get 'em the next one," said Lackey.

At 0-2, the Sox are in no real danger. Despite their lackluster start, it's wayyy too early for fans to lose sleep or even question their potential in 2011. The big picture is still well intact. Still, with that being said, being blown out in the first two games of the season was not what Sox fans were expecting after such an eventful offseason. 

The silver lining: Jacoby Ellsbury and Adrian Gonzalez have looked spectacular. Batting leadoff in both games, Ellsbury has combined to go 3-8 with a homer, three runs scored and a stolen base, looking more and more like the Ellsbury we have come to love, not the perpetually injured version from 2010. 

As for Gonzalez, the hype all seems to be warranted. At the plate, he has looked calm and in control, going 5-9 thus far (.455 average) and a team-leading three runs batted in, not to mention playing a gold-glove caliber first base.

On the flip side, fellow prime-time acquisition Carl Crawford has struggled in the first two games, going 0-7 at the plate. Manager Terry Francona even dropped him from the third hole in the lineup all the way to the seven spot heading into Sunday's matinee in Texas. 

While the following is just food for thought, the truth of the matter is that the Sox will be fine. It takes a while for some teams to jell, especially with new acquisitions, big names and enormous expectations. 

But let's put those World Series thoughts on hold for a while. 

First, the Sox need to win a game. 

"Well, it's a little early [to panic]," mused Francona. "I guess my answer to that would be I hope we win [Sunday]."