Are The Red Sox Finally Finding Their Power Stroke?
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Red Sox offense hasn't exactly lit the world on fire to start the 2017 season. But it may have just taken a trip to Baltimore to find the spark.
The Red Sox' series against the Orioles at Camden Yards got off to a poor start, as they could not solve starter Dylan Bundy in Friday's 2-0 loss. It didn't get much better on Saturday, as they could only muster two runs on six hits. But Sunday may have marked the moment where the Red Sox offense finally began to hit the upswing.
Amid all the drama between Dustin Pedroia and Manny Machado, the Red Sox' bats really came alive. After blasting three home runs in the team's 6-2 win in the series finale - one each from Mookie Betts, Hanley Ramirez, and Mitch Moreland - the Red Sox' power outage may finally be coming to an end.
The Red Sox do remain last in the American League in home runs with 11, but hey, at least they're in double-digits. The important part is that they've now hit four homers in the past two games (Jackie Bradley Jr. went deep on Saturday) after hitting four in the previous 14 games. It's important for the sake of the team that the Red Sox hit for at least middling power in the long run; less importantly, they needed to start hitting more balls out of the ballpark to keep the "Do they miss David Ortiz?" questions at bay.
The Red Sox' "problem" with power, however, may simply be a case of pure pessimism stewing from outside the clubhouse. Ask Andrew Benintendi, who went 5-for-5 on Sunday to pop his batting average to .347, and he'll tell you the lack of punch from the lineup to start the season isn't as big a deal as the peanut gallery is making it out to be.
"Everybody talks about how we haven't hit home runs," Benintendi said when he spoke to reporters after the game on Sunday. "I don't see what the problem is. We're getting on base and scoring runs."
Benintendi kind of has a point, there. The Red Sox are first in the AL in hits (182), batting average (.278), and on-base percentage (.343). They're second in doubles (35), thanks to Moreland's league-leading 11 two-baggers. They also lead the league in runs in "late & close" situations, which are defined as virtually the same as save situations.
They won't necessarily have to lead the league in long balls if they want to have an elite offense, either. The 2016 Red Sox led the AL in runs (878) despite being just seventh in home runs with 208. But the 2017 team is on pace for a paltry 94 homers, so clearly there is still room for improvement in that department.
Still, Ramirez and Bradley hit their first home runs of the season over the weekend. Betts really got hot with two dingers, eight RBIs, and a .954 OPS over the six-game road trip. Moreland is turning some of his doubles into four-baggers and continues to roll as one of the season's biggest pleasant surprises. In the power department, the switch may have finally flipped.
And if it has, the Red Sox can become the kind of threat they were a year ago. Even without Ortiz.
Matt Dolloff is a writer/producer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.