Roche: Opening Day Downer
BOSTON (CBS) -It was a day that the Red Sox badly needed Friday at Fenway Park: a feel good day.
It was a game that featured a wonderful pre-game ceremony highlighted by a first-pitch from the newly retired duo of Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek.
Josh Beckett bounced back from a disappointing first start in Detroit that saw him give up 5 home runs and raise even more concerns about his injured thumb. Beckett looked like the Beckett of April-August of 2011 where he spotted his 90-91 mph fastball and mixed in his off-speed stuff. Only one strikeout and not a lot of "swing and misses", but it was effective. The Sox will take eight innings and one run 100 out of 100 times from the veteran righthander.
Read: Dan Roche's Sports Blog
The Sox offense grinded out at-bats against David Price and used some "bloops and bleeders" as well as some walks to scrape together runs off David Price. They then broke it open in the 8th with 8 more runs.
A good day for Bobby V and company as they roll over the Tampa Bay Rays 12-2... except...
The loss of Jacoby Ellsbury.
The MVP runner-up from a year ago had his right shoulder ripped apart by shortstop Reid Brignac on a double play that ended the 4th inning.
Ellsbury will miss a minimum of six weeks. M-i-n-i-m-u-m. It's exactly what this team didn't need.
We saw two years ago what the loss of Ellsbury means and you could say he's even more important to this offense now. He is a game-changer and plays a solid defense in center field.
With Ellsbury down, someone has to step in the lead-off spot. Mike Aviles? Dustin Pedroia? Not easy. Ellsbury is a rare talent in that he can do it all. Power, speed, etc.
The hope? He heals quickly or Carl Crawford comes back, takes over, and plays like the Carl Crawford Sox fans saw for years in a Tampa uniform.
It's early and the Sox are just beginning to find themselves as a team. Unfortunately, in mid-April they also find themselves a lot weaker.
Follow WBZ-TV's Dan Roche on twitter @RochieWBZ
