After every series, we'll take stock of how each individual and group performance affects their overall value.
Lineup
Daniel Nava: One good game, (and "good" is used loosely) and one poor game. 2-for-5 with an RBI is pretty good, but add in 3 K's it doesn't look so good now. I'll cut him some slack this time.
Dustin Pedroia: a 3-for-13 is not what Pedey wanted to follow up the Baltimore series with. That thumb could be an issue...
Adrian Gonzalez: The 8th inning home run in game 1 was a promising sign, but it was the only positive to come out of the series for Gonzo. It is painful to watch him at the plate.
David Ortiz: Big Papi wasn't great, but was the best hitter in the series. After dropping his average to .300, Ortiz's 3-for-4 game 3 pulled it back up to .308.
Kevin Youkilis: 0-for-7 with a pinch-hit walk is not making us like Youkilis much. I feel much better about Middlebrooks' 1-for-7.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia: His pinch-hit, 2-RBI single was a good sign that he is not completely cold after a brief hot-streak. Aside from that ray of hope, he couldn't come through again in the series.
Will Middlebrooks: I said I felt better about his 1-for-7 compared to Youk's performance, I didn't say I liked it at all.
Mike Aviles: Aviles came through when the Sox needed him , driving in a couple of 2-out RBI in game 1 that was not enough. He added a single and stolen base in game 2, but it wasn't enough to raise his value.
The Bench: A lot of guys played in this series that didn't see a lot of action. Podsednik saw the most time and drove in a run in his 2-for-5 game 3. McDonald, Sweeney, Punto, Shoppach, and Byrd were non-factors. That could be said for most of the lineup.
Starting Pitching
Doubront sucked and put a lot of pressure on the Sox' offense to get ahead of Strasburg. We all knew that game was over in the 4th. Dice-K was much better than expected, and he can be given some slack. Jon Lester did all he could and did not get the support he needed.
Bullpen
The bullpen was very good until Aceves took the mound yesterday afternoon. Albers had that little blemish in his 1.2 innings of work, but the game was already lost. Everyone else did their job well.
Managing
There is no doubt that this is a talented team and Bobby Valentine has not been able to figure out what works. I know he has to work around a lot of injuries, but he has to figure out something that works very quickly.
Overall
The Sox got swept, what else is there to say?
