Lost in the shuffle of Matt Cassel beating Brett Favre in the most hyped Week 2 game in years around these parts on Sunday afternoon, Jon Lester continued his march toward becoming a truly elite pitcher by outdueling a man largely respected as perhaps the best hurler in the AL, in a game the Sox needed to have. Any question marks that surrounded Lester at the All-Star break have been officially converted into exclamation points. In fact, pencil him in for Game 2 right now - it doesn't matter who we are playing or what Daisuke's record ends up being ... Lester's earned the spot right behind Beckett in the playoff rotation.
And, in so doing, answered what could have been one of the bigger questions heading toward the beloved month of October. That's one down ...
But there's plenty more to learn on the remaining journey into and hopefully through the postseason. With that in mind, the following is a list of major questions that remain, with my best guess at how they might be answered.
1) Is Jason Bay ready for the grand stage of playoff baseball?
This is a question that needs to be asked, even though Bay has been nothing short of the anti-Manny since arriving - positive, team-oriented, consistent. But given that his entire career was spent in the sleepy hamlet of Pittsburgh, there's still a great unknown there. Call it the Edgar Renteria test - he didn't even make it into the postseason before wilting under the heat created by the Boston media. But Bay appears headed down a different path - he seems genuinely energized by the chance to play meaningful baseball games. I mean, think about it - Pittsburgh is in the midst of its 16th consecutive losing season. That means in each year of Bay's career, every game played after the end of May has been essentially worthless. He doesn't seem to have forgotten that fact. As for his play on the field, he's done nothing to make us think he'll run and hide come playoff time. For those who like hard evidence, look no further than last week's series with the Rays - he homered in two of the three games, including a go-ahead dinger in the 8th inning on Tuesday that would have won the game were it not for Papelbon's hiccup. I don't think there's much to worry about here.
2)Has the bullpen righted itself enough to be counted on in October?
This one's a little trickier. Just when I thought Okajima and Delcarmen were starting to look like the pitchers Red Sox Nation expected, Papelbon has struggled in two of his last three appearances. And I mean struggled with a capital S. I was at the game last Tuesday, and even the outs he got were scorched. Granted, he was pitching one night after going more than an inning, but he will be called upon in precisely those situations throughout October. Personally, I think he'll be fine. He's too much of a gamer to lose his edge when the outs matter most. As for the rest of the pen, I think it's in better shape than it was at the trading deadline. Delcarmen and Okajima seem to have figured things out, Lopez has emerged as a viable option against lefties and righties, and Masterson has been a pleasant surprise, emerging as perhaps the go-to righthander not named Papelbon. It's not perfect, and it's not as good as the best 'pens the Sox have had, but I think it's good enough for 9-12 outs per game, which is hopefully all the Sox will need. But there is one problem - Mike Timlin. I love the guy - he's one of my favorite Red Sox players during the 03-present era - but he's clearly lost it. The homer he served up to Pena last week is only the latest example in a season in which he's never really found a rhythm. Do I trust the 'pen in October? Yes. Just as long as Timlin doesn't get anywhere near a one-run lead in the final three innings.
3) Will JD Drew be healthy?
So here's the JD Drew we heard so much about when we were courting him in the off-season two years ago. Though he did well to suppress it for the better part of two summers, Drew's fragile reputation reared its ugly head again when he vanished for weeks with a sudden back injury suffered "running in the outfield." Ouch, sounds painful. Although he's spent the better part of the season playing well, one could argue that combining last year's showing with this season's injury problem, Drew has come nowhere close to living up to his hefty salary. But that's not the point of this question. Will he be healthy? I'm going to say probably not. Which leads to the next question?
4) Does that matter?
I say no. The duo of Crisp and Kotsay have been through these kinds of games before, and they're both playing relatively well, Crisp in particular. Sure, it takes something of a "presence" out of the lineup, and the Sox won't be able to pack the same punch on a nightly basis, but sometimes in the postseason it's the scrappy plays or the bunt basehits or the stolen bases that make a difference, and Crisp and Kotsay are built for that kind of game-plan. Do I want Drew to miss the postseason? Of course not. But his absence won't sink the Sox ship.
5) But what about Ortiz?
Here's the million-dollar question. The Sox have been able to get by with a mediocre Ortiz for weeks. His average is high, and his RBI total isn't bad, but he only has one more homer than I do in the last 15 games or so. That won't get it done in October. The regular season is one thing, but playoff baseball is another. If he can't hit and hit for power, there's no chance anyone in front of him sees anything good to swing at. Quite simply, it just becomes much easier to deal with the Red Sox lineup. Of course, Pedroia is such a God with the bat he can probably hit .350 in the playoffs even if he doesn't see a single strike, but Papi's presence is nothing to overlook. When the Sox have needed a clutch hit in the last three years, he is where they turned. What happens this October when they need a double off the monster and they get a dribbler up the line?
6) Can the Sox win the World Series?
I say yes. The road is certainly a tough one, whether it be through the Angels or the Rays or both, but it can be done. Any team that can line up a pitching threesome of Beckett, Lester and Daisuke has a chance in any given series. Think about it - Beckett is the most feared postseason pitcher in a generation, Lester is the most improved lefty in baseball this year, and Daisuke is having the quietest 16-2 season in Major League history. I knew he didn't speak much English, but I thought his record did. Anyway, good luck beating that trio in three of five or four of seven games. And given that the Sox lead the Major Leagues in batting average, the offense isn't exactly a weakness. Plus, there's the been-there-done-that factor that puts Boston miles ahead of Anaheim and literal space ages ahead of Tampa. That has to count for something. So while I'm not predicting a cakewalk to the trophy, I'd say the Sox have as good a chance as anyone in baseball right now. And what more can a Sox fan ask for as October inches closer?
That's an easy question.
