9 Takeaways From Red Sox Strong Start

1. Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz are back to 2010 form
2. Jackie Bradley Jr. isn't a superstar just yet, but he's a capable big league ballplayer
3. Jose Iglesias isn't totally helpless with a bat in his hands
4. The bullpen is great, especially with Andrew Bailey setting up Joel Hanrahan  
5. Will Middlebrooks is legit
6. Shane Victorino is still an All-Star caliber outfielder
7. Mike Napoli's hip condition does not seem to be hampering his power, but when is he going to work a walk?
8. Jacoby Ellsbury is doing what he knows how to do best: steal bases
9. John Farrell--the anti-Bobby Valentine in every way--was the perfect man for the job

9 Lessons From Baseball's First Week

Baseball has been back for little more than a week, so what have we learned so far? It's still early, so not much, but here are a few key takeaways from the first week of ballgames:

1. Chris Davis's breakout was for real
2. Roy Halladay might actually be done...
3. ...But Chase Utley isn't
4. The Red Sox are better than we thought
5. The Yankees are just as bad (and maybe worse) than we feared
6. Bryce Harper, not Mike Trout, is poised to become the best player in baseball
7. Texas does not like Josh Hamilton
8. A healthy Mike Morse is a force to be reckoned with
9. Justin Upton is a legit MVP candidate, his disappointing 2012 notwithstanding

Boston Beats Baltimore in Home Opener

Nava puts the Sox ahead with a three-run bomb

Fresh off consecutive series wins over the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays, the first-place Boston Red Sox made their way back to Fenway Park for their home opener against the Baltimore Orioles. The last time the Fenway Faithful saw them, the sorry Red Sox resembled a Triple-A ballclub as they stumbled towards their worst season since 1965.

That was only six months ago, but so much has changed since then that it might as well have been six years ago. Boston's roster is much improved, and given their hot start it's hard not to feel optimistic about their chances in an up-for-grabs division. Even the weather reflected Red Sox Nation's upbeat mood: with warm sunshine drenching their century-old ballpark and a slight breeze blowing in from left field, it was a perfect day for baseball.

The capacity crowd at the Fens was treated to an old-fashioned pitcher's duel between Wei-Yin Chen and Clay Buchholz, watching helplessly as the hurlers traded zeroes for the first six and a half innings. Boston's sluggers were held in check, unable to take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather or the short porch in left. Baltimore's batters were equally baffled, fanning eight times against Buchholz and mustering just three hits--all singles.

In this pitcher's version of a staring contest, it was Chen who blinked first when he seemed to run out of gas in the bottom of the seventh   With his pitch count pushing triple digits, the tiring starter got himself into a jam when Dustin Pedroia singled and Mike Napoli doubled with nobody out.

With two men in scoring position and Will Middlebrooks in the batter's box, just 24 hours removed from a three-homer game north of the border, the Fenway Faithful sprang to life. Things were finally getting interesting, for Middlebrooks appeared to be a good bet to provide some fireworks. But today was not his day; the young slugger struck out for the second time against Chen. He shuffled back to the dugout, head down, his face darkened by the long shadows creeping across the infield.

That brought up Daniel Nava, who with a walk and a single was the only Red Sox player that had given Chen even the slightest bit of trouble. Whatever sorcery Chen had used to confound the rest of Boston's lineup, it wasn't fooling Nava. Sure enough, he got the better of Chen once more, becoming the unlikely hero by swatting a three-run shot over the Monster. When it came down, Boston had itself a 3-0 lead, Chen was done and Fenway Park was rocking like it was 2004.

Given that Buchholz had already logged 113 pitches on the afternoon, John Farrell turned the game over to his bullpen. He used Andrew Bailey as a bridge to the ninth inning, then brought in Joel Hanrahan to close out the win.

Hanrahan had an adventurous last inning not unlike the stressful situations his predecessor, Jonathan Papelbon, created so often during his tenure in Boston.  It started when the red-hot Adam Jones jacked a solo shot--his first homer of the year--to lead off the ninth and get Baltimore on the board. Hanrahan recovered, retiring Chris Davis with a groundout and striking out Matt Wieters.

Then, just when Sox seemed to be in the clear, J.J. Hardy hammered a double to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of Ryan Flaherty. The crowd was growing restless. Even though most Red Sox loyalists have endured countless chokes and meltdowns in their lifetimes, each new wound stings just as much as the one that preceded it. Nevermind Flaherty's thoroughly mediocre batting record--Bucky Dent and Aaron Boone taught Sox fans to never underestimate their opponents, no matter how non-threatening they appear.

Thankfully, the seldom-used second baseman was just as harmless as his numbers suggested. He ended the game by popping out to Middlebrooks in foul territory. The fans breathed a collective sigh of relief, "Dirty Water" echoed through the grandstands, and the Olde Towne Team lined up for congratulatory high-fives.

Baseball is back, and so are the Red Sox.

Rangers Reward Andrus

Shortly after former MVPs Buster Posey and Justin Verlander joined baseball's ever-growing $100 million club, Elvis Andrus' received a brand-spanking-new eight-year, $120 million contract expension that puts him in the same rarefied air as the aforementioned duo along with Evan Longoria, Josh Hamilton, and David Wright.  Here are five reasons why Andrus does not deserve that kind of cash.

1. With just 14 career home runs, a .354 slugging percentage and .079 ISO, Andrus has no power to speak of. In 2010 he failed to go deep and compiled only 18 extra base hits in 674 plate appearances. Not surprisingly, he has yet to earn an intentional walk in over 2,600 career trips to the dish
2. He's regressed as a basestealer. As a rookie he stole 33 bases in 39 attempts (84.6 percent), but last year swiped just 21 bases in 31 attempts (67.7 percent--barely above the break-even point). Considering that speed and defense--his two greatest skills--deteriorate with age, Andrus is likely to suffer a dramatic drop-off in value once he reaches his early 30s
3. He strikes out a good amount for somebody with zero pop, whiffing 96 times in 2010 and again in 2012. That's way too many whiffs for a Juan Pierre-type and explains why he's failed to bat above .286 despite his blazing speed
4. He's basically Erick Aybar. Aybar is signed to a five-year, $40 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels
5. Andrus is a two-time All-Star, but his trophy case is pretty empty. He's never received an MVP vote, won a Gold Glove, or led the league in any significant batting category

Andrus is a nice complementary piece on a winning team, but the Rangers were crazy to outbid themselves and hand him a Jose Reyes/Carl Crawford sum of money. At 24, Andrus is still young enough that he has room to keep developing, but I just can't see him emerging as a Reyes or Derek Jeter type who commands $15 million a year. Maybe Texas thinks otherwise, that his strong Spring Training (.404/.456/.596) indicates a breakout is on the horizon?

I believe the real reason Texas locked him up is because the Rangers are a team in transition. With Ian Kinsler declining, Nelson Cruz embroiled in PED controversy, Adrian Beltre getting old, and Hamilton, Michael Young, and Mike Napoli all gone, the Rangers crave the kind of young talent and optimism that Andrus provides. They see him as a bridge to the future, a source of consistency and stability for a roster that is about to undergo major turnover in the next few years. They're hoping Andrus embraces his role not just as a team leader, but as a winner. 

Still, that shouldn't boost Andrus's price tag north of nine figures. I get that Texas has money to burn, but the whole point of extending young players before they reach free agency is to secure their services at a discount, to pay less than what you expect they'll demand when they hit the open market in return for the security that a long-term contract provides. Andrus was slated to become a free agent at the age of 27, in the heart of a player's prime earning years, but even then I'm not so sure he could have fetched as much money.

But we'll never know.

Sox Win First Series of Season

The Red Sox are no longer undefeated, but they are still in first place.

Boston followed up a rousing Opening Day victory with another convincing win in Game 2 on Wednesday. Shane Victorino knocked Hiroki Kuroda out of the game in the second inning by lining one off Kuroda's right (throwing) hand. The Sox proceeded to feast on his replacement, Cody Eppley, for four runs in the top of the third, giving Clay Buchholz a 6-0 cushion.

Like Jon Lester, Buchholz carried over his Spring Training success into the regular season, allowing just one run across seven stellar innings. Andrew Miller and Alfredo Aceves struggled in the eighth, allowing New York to mount a comeback when Vernon Wells homered with Juan Francisco and Kevin Youkilis on base. With the score now 7-4, Joel Hanrahan closed the door in the ninth to earn his first save with his new team.

Unfortunately the Red Sox were unable to finish off the sweep last night, losing 4-2 on a night when 40 year-old Andy Pettitte and 43 year-old Mariano Rivera stifled their offense. Ryan Dempster pitched reasonably well in his Sox debut--good enough to keep his team in the game but not good enough to compete with Pettitte's vintage performance. Sox pitching allowed solo homers to Brett Gardner and Francisco Cervelli--two players who probably won't combine to hit ten all year.

If you think that's fluky, get this: Boston's leading hitter is Jose Iglesias, of all people. The all-glove/no-bat shortstop went 7-for-12 batting out of Boston's nine-hole. If he can prove to be at semi-capable (a poor man's Mike Aviles?) with the lumber, that will go a long way towards stretching out John Farrell's lineup, not to mention giving Jacoby Ellsbury more RBI opportunities. At the very least, he must hold his own this weekend until Stephen Drew returns from his concussion, which could be as soon as Monday.

Starting tonight, the Red Sox have three games in Toronto before coming back to Boston for their home opener against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday.