Before I get deeply entrenched into this post, let’s be clear on one thing.

It’s extremely hard for any baseball team to begin the season losing its first six games.  

Why?

It’s simply the law of averages.  Baseball is a game based upon a unique set of skills that each position player possesses.  Pitchers are athletes who possess the ultimate amount of skill, and their success (and the entire teams success) is primarily based on the proper execution of their skill. 

Given that, what are the odds that the Red Sox pitchers AND Red Sox hitters would simultaneously execute their skill worse than their opposing pitchers and hitters?  Couple that with the fact that Boston’s lineup is a modern-day murderer’s row, and any fan should have reason for major concern, right?

Jacoby Ellsbury – Batted .301 in last full season

Carl Crawford – .300+ hitter in 5 of last 6 seasons

Dustin Pedoira – 2008 American League MVP

Kevin Youkilis – .300+ hitter with above average power

Adrian Gonzalez seems to be a perfect fit for the Green Monster at Fenway.

Adrian Gonzalez- Had three MVP-caliber seasons in Petco Park

David Ortiz- 351 career HRs

J.D. Drew – good 7th hole hitter with power

Any team would be jealous of this batting lineup.  But they enter a weekend hosting the Yankees after getting swept by the Rangers and the Indians.

But a closer examination would help us to see that things aren’t as bad as they seem.  In the midst of their slow start, the Red Sox have put up 5 runs in two different games, and 4 runs in another.  That number of runs – while not exactly what Boston is capable of – is certainly a sufficient amount to win a ball game.  But those respectable offensive outputs were marred by poor pitching, contributing to the BoSox’s current losing streak.

And with New York coming to town, one might think that Boston’s suffering will continue.  But to the contrary, the Yankees will indeed spark a fire under the Sox.  If there’s one team that Boston peps up for, it’s New York.

Bottom line – there’s 162 games in a season for a reason.  The best teams are determined over the course of spring, summer, and fall.

Given that less than 4% of the major league schedule has been played at this point, the Sox have plenty of time to recover.  And with the talent on its roster, Boston can have faith that they’ll improve.

And that’s just the law of averages.

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