Red Sox need a break

July 10, 2:02 PMBoston Red Sox ExaminerEric Dorval

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 Francona has had trouble making the right call these past two weeks.

The Red Sox are 7-7 over their last 14 games.  This is not a good record considering the Sox aren’t exactly playing the cream of the crop right now.  The two biggest issues over this stretch have been clutch hitting and the bullpen.  It seems like everyone could really use the upcoming week of vacation.

Over the last seven losses the Sox ‘pen has an E.R.A. of 9.41.  This is bad, but it seems to me like a sign that they need some time off.  As a group, the bullpen has thrown a lot of hard innings.  If Brad Penny leaves with a two-run lead after five, then the ‘pen has to delivery four hard innings.  Fortunately, they have been up to the task so far this season.  I think their recent struggles are more a culmination of many difficult innings, as opposed to an indication that they are cooling off.

Timely hitting has also been lacking during the past two weeks.  The Sox have scored two or fewer runs in four of their past 12 games and are averaging just less than 4.5 runs per game during their past 14 games.  This is off their season average of 5.2 runs per game just enough to lose a few close ones.

The Sox bullpen has been great over the first half of the season and there is little reason to think things will change.  The Sox have five relievers with an E.R.A. less than 3.20.  It is this depth that allows the likes of Brad Penny and John Smoltz to throw all they can for five innings and then hand the ball over to the bullpen.  Sure, in a perfect world we would all love to see Penny constantly pitching into the seventh inning.  But there is nothing wrong with your fourth and fifth starters throwing five or six innings, so long as they are quality innings.  (Smoltz will get there.)

And if any starter begins to lose it or tire during the second half of the season, the Sox always have Clay Buchholz ready to step in.  Plus, don’t give up on Dice-K for this season.  I think he’ll be back in some role.

You know the hitting is there as well.  As good as the team has been as a whole offensively, the Sox do not have a single starter comfortably batting over .300.  (Pedroia and Ellsbury are hopping around the .300 number.)  You have to expect a few bats to really heat up in the second half.  The Red Sox are currently tied for first place in the A.L. East, as well as the second-best record in baseball.  There are always areas where they can improve, such as a good defensive shortstop or another big bat, but as a whole the team has been playing well.  If the Sox can take these next three games against the Royals, they can head into the All-Star break in a great position.