11-4

Best record in baseball: What every fan of MLB wants to hear about their team.

At 11-4, the Red Sox not only have the best record in the AL East and a 2.5-game lead over second-place Baltimore, they also have the best record in the majors. Considering many people were predicting hard goings for the Sox early in the season due to the influx of new players at key positions, that ain’t too shabby.

That’s why you just have to love this year’s Red Sox team. We lost some big cogs in the machinery from the past few seasons (Damon, Mueller, Martinez, Lowe, shortstops, etc), and yet Boston still tops the AL East early in the season.

There were concerns over how some of these players, coming from small-market cities, would handle playing in a high-pressure town like Boston. However, not only have the newbies managed to adapt to the pressure, its seems like they are thriving on it. Just look at ‘em: Coco off to a hot start before his injury; Lowell’s bat has been coming alive; the defense of Stern, Gonzalez, and Loretta; Beckett and Papelbon pitching like aces.

Though I have faith in Sox, just as I do every year, I also don’t expect them to keep this pace up throughout the season, just as I don’t every year. They’re out to an amazing start so far, there’s no doubt about that. But things happen throughout the year that derail a team from time to time. Injuries to key players, slumps from big hitters, a few bad outings from ace pitchers.

Wait, injuries to key players? Like star center-fielder Crisp and pitcher Wells? They seem to have handled that well.

Slumps from big hitters? Like Manny’s .214 batting average early on? Still won 11 games regardless, and Manny’s starting to break out of it already, pumping his average up while driving the ball hard. Only a matter of time before his shots start leaving the yard.

A few bad outings from ace pitchers? Like Clement’s stinker last week? And Wakefield’s tough couple starts? Both bounced back beautifully from horrible outings to post a W. When Clement, an easy lock for 16+ wins a season, is your number three pitcher, you’re not in bad shape at all.

So looks like the Sox have been in the midst of three major setbacks already this season, and still managed to come out on top. How? This squad has done wonders with the replacements in the dugout and bullpen.

Adam Stern has flashed some serious leather in the outfield in Coco’s absence, making a beautiful game-ending catch and crashing into the Monster chasing one down. He’s a beast.

Strikeout artist Wily Mo must be hanging out with Ortiz and Manny in the dugout, because he’s starting to be more selective at the plate. Hell, he even eased up on his swing one game and went to the opposite field for a hit. I swear!

Minor-leaguer Lenny DiNardo pitched a GEM on Patriot’s Day, stepping up to fill in for the injured David Wells. His 2-run performance kept the Sox in the game, setting up Loretta’s 9th-inning heroics.

And those are just the fill-ins! Our regulars have played some serious ball along the way as well. Loretta and Gonzalez have provided sick defense up the middle, and did you know Youkilis is batting over .350? How about Ortiz mashing the ball out of Fenway at an incredible clip? Schilling looks like he found the fountain of youth, and Nixon, coming back after a brief injury, is hitting almost .380!

So, maybe I CAN have faith they’ll keep this up for most of the season. Maybe I don’t have to wait for the post All-Star break swoon, where the Yankees seem to creep up out of the basement to reclaim the throne. Maybe this new blood and rejuvenation the Sox seem to have found is the real deal.

Whatever the case, the Sox have hit the ground running, and show no signs of looking back.