5 Takeaways from the First 5 Games

Photo Credit: AP

The Red Sox have come out flying to start the season, taking 3 of 4 games against the Tampa Bay Rays and taking the series opener against the Miami Marlins last night, 7-3. So, what can we take away from the first 5 games of the season?

1. Joe Kelly needs work. Kelly is really one of the only reasons the Red Sox aren't a perfect 5-0 to start the season, and is mainly responsible for the Opening Day loss against Tampa. The team was cruising...at least until Kelly came in and gave up 4 runs in a third of an inning. He allowed 4 runs, 1 hit, and 3 walks in that third of an inning. The most striking part of that, at least for me, is the 3 walks, which tells me that he has some control issues that he has to work through. Now, to Kelly's credit, he came back and pitched a solid scoreless inning out of the pen last night, picking up his 1st big-league save in the process, but he needs a few more performances like that against better teams before I trust him. It's a long season, and one bad performance doesn't make or break a season at this stage.

2. #XGonGiveItToYa: Xander Bogaerts has been a beast out of the gate. .455 average, a home run, and 5 doubles. He's been smoking the ball out of the gate. Yes, he won't continue hitting at a near .500 clip, but if this is a sign of what's to come, I'm excited.

3. Pitching has been on point. With the exception of Joe Kelly's one bad outing in the opener, the pitching has been exceptional so far. Chris Sale struck out 9 on what looked at times to be an "off day," David Price turned in a 7 inning, 5 strikeout performance, and the bullpen has been lights out (again, with the exception of Kelly, which I talked about already). The bullpen is going to be the X-factor for the team. We already know that Craig Kimbrel (2 saves already) is one of the best closers in the game, but the key is going to be bridging the gap and getting to him with a lead intact.

4. J.D. Martinez is still adjusting. As I said earlier with Kelly, the season is a long one, and Martinez isn't the only one struggling out of the gate. He is hitting .200 with 1 RBI through 5 games, which isn't ideal for a guy the Sox just gave a $100+ contract to. Martinez is a good hitter, though, and 5 games is too small of a sample size to rush to any snap judgements, so for now, he gets the benefit of the doubt. Now, if we look up in August & September and he's still struggling, that's a different story, but I think J.D. is too good not to figure it out at some point.

5.Alex Cora is doing a good job so far. The Red Sox came out of Tampa with 3 straight 1-run wins in large part due to Cora's decision-making. Every bench player has made at least one start, and none of his starters have gotten past the 95 pitch mark, according to the Herald. It's been an "all hands on deck" approach so far, and it's paying off. He also seems to have the clubhouse on his side, which is something that may have led to John Farrell's squads not being able accomplish anything outside of 2013. Another interesting tidbit from the Herald: the Red Sox are 3-0 so far in 1-run games, which is something last year's team struggled with.

We have to put everything, good and bad, in perspective, though - it's still early, and anything can happen. We could be World Series contenders or it'll all blow up in our face. Knock on wood, but I don't think I'm alone in hoping for the former.

Stats from espn.com

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