State of the Nation: 2

Hello everyone and welcome to the second installment of "State of the Nation", and I'm delighted to inform you that you probably won't read this with a huge frown on your face and the Suicide Hotline on speed dial. The first installment was right before the home opener against the Yankees where the Sox sat at 0-6 and some where calling for Theo to boot Terry Francona, Curt Young, and Dave Magadan out of Boston. However our beloved Red Sox turned it around and have won 8 of the last 10 and outscoring the opponents 52 - 23 in the process.

After the poor 0-6 start, the Red Sox won two out of three against New York with the help of a stellar Josh Beckett performance,  where "swept" in a shortened-by-rain series by the Rays who had batting practice against Daisuke Matsuzaka, and took three out of four at home against Toronto, capping it off with 1 run allowed in the last three games. Red Sox then split a two game series in Oakland and paid a visit to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and swept them in a four game series.

Who was looked good:
The starting pitching has looked excellent, with Josh Beckett building on his gem against the Yankees and pitching two others. Dice-K turned it around and has pitched 15 innings of 2 hit ball without allowing a run after his no-so-stellar start against the Rays. Lackey has pitched 14 innings of 1 run ball scattering hits all over the place.  On the offensive side, Jacoby Ellsbury has hit well enough on the 9th spot to be brought back up to leadoff, since then he hasn't disappointed, working the count and slaphitting. Jed Lowrie, has just been unstoppable as of late, hitting 3 HRs and driving in 12. 

Who has looked bad: 
Carl Crawford fell in a slump early on, but seemed to be turning the page in the Anaheim series, hitting a double and a homerun. 

Jarrod Saltalamachia has looked terrible behind the plate, but at the batter's box he has looked just fine. Red Sox could be exploring for catching options internally or even externally to replace him.

Goals:
Last weeks goals where:

1. Win the Home opener. This is CRUCIAL if the Red Sox want to stay confident. If the Yanks take the first one, the series will go downhill, happened in the Rangers series. 
2. Allow no more than 6 runs in each game against the Yankees. The way the offense is going (not scoring more than 5 runs yet) if the game goes high-scoring, the Sox won't catchup.
3. Score double digits in one home game this home stand. They need that oomph in order to get the ball rolling. 
   

1. To take 2 out of three from both the Orioles and the Mariners. Against the Orioles, we have a good chance with Buchholz, Beckett, and Lester on the mound in that order, and the Mariners, we are playing at home. 
   
2. Improve our hitting with RISP
3. Continue to have good starts from our pitchers

Goodbye all! 
Go Sox!