The starting staff has to start living up to their end of the bargain.
For a Boston starting rotation that was looked upon as one of the clear strengths of this year's team, the collection of talented arms has struggled in the early going for the Sox. Josh Beckett and Jon Lester have both battled with consistency problems and Daisuke Matsuzaka landed on the 15-day disabled with a slightly strained right shoulder after participating in the World Baseball Classic. The Sox starters are dead last in the American League with a 5.85 ERA after 31 games, and would be even worse if not for the brilliant early-season work of 42-year-old righty Tim Wakefield.
It's an issue that's begun to result in some wear and tear on a bullpen that's been as good as advertised through the first six weeks of the season, and it's something that the starting pitchers are acutely aware of.
"I think we believe in them and we think that we'll get the (starting pitchers) back where they're supposed to be," said Sox manager Terry Francona. "It hasn't been the way that we've drawn it up."
One bright spot has been the command of the strike zone as the Sox starters have issued the second-fewest walks in the American League this season (77), but have more than made up for that by allowing hitters to tag them at a .287 batting average clip this season.
RED SOX 4, RAYS 3: OF Jason Bay went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI during his first time hitting in the cleanup slot since coming over to the Red Sox in a trade last summer, and won it in the eighth inning with his RBI double. RHP Josh Beckett gave the Sox six innings of three-run ball, but RHP Ramon Ramirez picked up the win in relief.
