Sox Been Lucky So Far - As They Head Into May

I feel the Red Sox are lucky to have the record they do right now. If you look at the whole picture - Ortiz not hitting at all so far; Lester and Beckett being erratic; Dice-K being out most of season so far; Lowrie's injury; Penny's poor pitching - it's a bit surprising to see the Sox in 2nd place.

-- The weeks keep passing and I share the concerns of many Sox fans about David Ortiz - more and more each week. The more time passes, the more I suspect that Ortiz' wrist problems from last year are still hindering him. If it's not that, it seems the only other explanation is Ortiz simply losing his skills suddenly. That seems it'd be more mysterious and unlikely. He's only 33, but, it happens occasionally to pro athletes.

To me, Ortiz's core problem is his inabilty to get his bat around fast enough to hit almost any fastball at any speed. I've seen him - as you have - swing late on many fastballs that are clocked at 89 mph. He used to swat those kind of fastballs all over the field. I think because he knows he can't hit fastballs, that is messing up his timing with all other pitches a pitcher is throwing. If a hitter cannot hit a fastball, he probably cannot do well in the big leagues - period. Ortiz was always a fastball hitter, but, he was so good that he could wait on pitches and make contact on curves and changeups too. (It's hard to remember this now)

I think if Ortiz is making no progress by May 20th or so, I think it's time for Tery Francona and Theo Epstein to start considering what to do about Ortiz. First, at a minimum, I'd consider giving him several consecutive days off to take pressure off and let him practice his hitting with Davd Magadan. Second, I'd consider putting him on the Disabled List and having a more extended time out of the line up. (They can identify some ailment, as they've done with others)
Lastly, if this were to continue on and on, my own hunch is that Ortiz himself would not want to hurt the team indefinitely - and might even take himself out of the lineup.

Other thoughts: The Sox bullpen, except for Javier Lopez, has been pretty solid. Okajima has had a couple of shaky outings, but, been excellent other times. Jason Bay has played beyond expectations. Jacoby Ellsbury has shown flashes of watching the ball better at the plate.

With the great pitchers the Sox have in the minors, it's painful to watch anyone - like Lopez - stay on the pitching staff much longer. They have so many good pitchers now, it could be a challenge to find a spot for a couple of them. (Buchholz, Bard, Smoltz).