Big Papi led the Red Sox with a .342 average in May, crushing 10 home runs and driving in 16. He had a .964 slugging pct and had nine doubles. Most impressive is he had only 12 strikeouts in 28 games.
Hot: Adrian Gonzalez
Gonzo continued to tear the cover off the ball, batting .341 in 29 games. He hit nine home runs and drove in a team high 31 runs. He started hitting the ball all over Fenway and could be a triple crown candidate as the year goes on.
Not: Dustin Pedroia
Pedroia’s slump continued in May, batting just .227 (25-for-110) with just five extra-base hits and 10 RBI.
Hot: Carl Crawford
After a horrific April, Crawford turned it around in May. He started the month with a game-winning hit against the Mariners, one of the 15 runs he drove in during the month. CC hit .304 with 38 hits in 29 games, including three triples. Crawford also started crossing the plate, scoring 19 runs.
Hot: Josh Beckett
Beckett continued to anchor the Sox rotation, along with Jon Lester, with a 2-1 record in six May starts. In 36 innings pitched Beckett allowed just four earned runs on 26 hits, while striking out 31. He had an ERA of just 1.00 for the month.
Hot: Rich Hill
Hill was a big contributor out of a bullpen that was shaky, not allowing a run in eight innings pitched. He gave up just three hits while striking out 12.
Not: JD Drew
Drew played in 22 games, missing time due to a sore hamstring, but did not do much at the plate when he played. Drew hit just .188 with three RBI.
Hot: Jonathan Papelbon
Although Pap’s ERA was a little high at 3.38, he recorded five saves and was 2-0 for the month of May.
Hot: Clay Buchholz
Beckett continued to anchor the Sox rotation, along with Jon Lester, with a 2-1 record in six May starts. In 36 innings pitched Beckett allowed just four earned runs on 26 hits, while striking out 31. He had an ERA of just 1.00 for the month.
Hot: Tim Wakefield
Wakefield was huge for Boston, taking a spot in the rotation when they lost John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka to injuries. He pitched in six games in May, with four of them being starts, going 3-1 with a 3.51 ERA.
