After every series, we'll take stock of how each individual and group performance affects their overall value.
Offense
Mike Aviles: Aviles did a good job filling in for Ellsbury in the top spot. He wasn't great but he did swing the bat well at times, hitting two big home runs in the middle games of the series.
Dustin Pedroia: Even though he hit a bit of a snag in the series, Pedroia is still a valuable and crucial piece of this lineup. Expect Pedey to put on a show very soon.
David Ortiz: Big Papi is on fire and the Sox will need him to carry it over into the Rangers series. It doesn't get much better than putting up a .563 average with a homer and 8 RBI in a series.
Adrian Gonzalez: Gonzo had a quiet series but brought his average from .261 to .300 and has a nice little 4-game hitting streak going. Expect some big numbers from Gonzo in the near future.
Kevin Youkilis: Youk showed some signs of resurgence, going 4-for-10 in the first three games with a 3 RBI game 1. Once he shows a little more consistency he'll have one of those nice green arrows next to his name.
Cody Ross: He brought his A-game to the series, jacking 2 homers and driving in 8 runs. It's nice to see production from someone wearing the #7 (That was strictly a shot toward J.D. Drew, not Trot Nixon).
Ryan Sweeney: He seems that he is coming back to reality by having just an average series. He is still batting .357 on the young season and is still contributing well more than we expected.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia: Sure, he hit a 2-run homer in game 1, but everything else is just crap.
Kelly Shoppach: He is picking up the slack for Sox catching and his half of the Rays series was pretty damn good. 4-for-7 with 3 RBI puts Salty to shame.
Darnell McDonald: More crap. One hit in the series and two hits on the season should be cause for a benching. I wouldn't mind that decision.
The bench
The bench didn't contribute much so I am not giving them much value. That's all.
Rotation
I liked everything I saw from the rotation in the series. Even with that one loss, I am not pinning it on Bard. They came though against a tough Rays team.
Bullpen
Just like the starters, the pen did their jobs and prevailed over a tough lineup. It's nice to see everyone settle down and pitch well, especially in a divisional matchup.
Managing
An idiotic decision to call out one of his players and leaving Bard in too long did not sit well around here. He needs to shut his damn mouth and manager this team.
Overall
The Sox exceeded expectations and took 3 from the Rays. The pitching was there and the offense came to play. It was fun to watch this series, especially following the previous 2 series.
