After every series, we'll take stock of how each individual and group performance affects their overall value.
Lineup
Daniel Nava: Nava looked pretty good in the series and was a big contributor, hitting 2 doubles and knocking in 4 runs.
Dustin Pedroia: Pedey started off slow, going 0-for-4 in game 1. He finally got his act together and finished the series 4-for-7 with a pair of RBI. This could be the beginning of a streak...we hope.
Adrian Gonzalez: Like Pedey, Gonzo started the series a little slow, but went on to hit .416, with a home run and 3 RBI. Again, like Pedey, we hope this is the beginning of a hot streak.
David Ortiz: Big Papi opened his mouth and stunk it up at the plate. He got game 3 off which hopefully cleared his head and will give him a fresh start.
Will Middlebrooks: Another series with a huge impact and hitting homers. Even when he doesn't get a hit in a game (game 3), he is still making an impact and driving in runs.
Cody Ross: He just took over game 3 and has made a huge impact since returning from the DL. This guy continues to prove that he is a keeper.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia: Other than his single and run scored in the middle game, Salty didn't contribute much else. It looks like he has quickly transitioned back to a minor slump, as he struck out 4 times in 8 plate appearances.
Ryan Kalish: I can't say his value went down much with his 0-for-7 performance, because he is still transitioning from that quick rehab stint through the minors. I'll give him a few more games to try to get things right.
Mike Aviles: a little bit of good, a little more of bad. I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt on his value and blame it on him bouncing around the lineup.
The Bench: McDonald and Shoppach each made their lone appearance in game 3 and each went 1-for-4, but Shoppach crossed the plate twice. They weren't anything great. The interesting stat is the difference in pitches each guy saw. In McDonald saw 22 pitches, Shoppach saw 9. I guess Kelly likes to get to the point.
Starting Pitching
Franklin Morales was the best pitcher in the series and if it wasn't for his 8 K's, I would have been a little more upset. I am not sure what is wrong with Lester and Aaron Cook was no more than mediocre. The Sox need more from their starters.
Bullpen
We have seen better from this bullpen. Albers, Atchison, and Melancon had their rough patches, but as a group, they did enough to hold off the Braves in the 2 victories.
Managing
Eh...There was nothing special from Bobby V that deserves any recognition.
Overall
This was a nice series victory, with the offense coming alive, but they had to in order to bail out the pitching. Again, the pitching wasn't terrible, but it could be much better.
