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At The Break |
To evaluate the Red Sox at the break, we have to—once again—go to the old canard once used by
Winston Churchill to describe the Soviet Union:
"Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." And, so too, are your 2014
Carmine Hose. They are about as bereft of offense as any Red Sox team in memory—and yet they exploded for 11 runs yesterday. They were a team with no heart or soul—then the release of
A.J. Pierzynski seemed to have rejuvenated everyone in the clubhouse. They are sitting in last place in the AL East, and yet, there's a sense (held by many in The Nation) that they
could make a run at a second
Wild Card. Might
Brock 'Babe' Holt be the
Yasiel Puig of the 2014 Red Sox—infusing a crazy second-half energy that will spur the team to contend? His 5-6 showing to close out the first half yesterday doesn't do anything to quash those hopes! And, yet, this team still seems hung-over by the 2013 miracle, hampered with key injuries (notably,
Shane Victorino), and still on-pace to score
way fewer runs that last year. Realistically, they are out of contention already. But maybe,
just maybe,
The Rookie Resurgence could make the second half interesting. Told 'ya—
a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.