After every series, we'll take stock of how each individual and group performance affects their overall value.
Lineup
Jacoby Ellsbury: Jacoby 1-upped himself in every game of the series. 1-for-5, 2-for-4, and 3-for-5 performances made Sox fans feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Daniel Nava: The solo homer was his only highlight and hit in the series. Let's hope the homer pulled him out of the mini second-half slump.
David Ortiz: When you need a hit and runners on base, Ortiz will answer your needs. The average continues to rise.
Adrian Gonzalez: Normally, one-gamers get thrown in with the bench but he is an exception. I thought the back would be more of an issue, instead, Gonzo went 2-for-4 with an RBI. I like it.
Cody Ross: Cody could have done far better, but he wasn't the worst performer. He hasn't been spectacular as of late, so this series didn't hurt his value much. Ross struck out 3 times in 8 at-bats. That better not be a problem again.
Will Middlebrooks: Will started the series off slow, then picked it up with the homer in game 2. His 3-for-4 game 3 was a sigh of relief and made us feel better about the trade.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia: The break didn't do much for him. It is safe to say that the slump continues with that 1-for-8 performance, with 4 K's (one PH strikeout).
Mike Aviles: Heeeeee's baaacckkkkk! Going 5-for-11, with a double and homer, against a rotation like that is a pretty good sign that his bat is coming back around.
Pedro Ciriaco: A hot start from the 9 spot in game 1 then a nose dive the rest of the series. Following 3-for-3 with 0-for-8 and 4 strikeouts is a tough blow to his confidence.
The Bench: Gomez - awful. Lillibridge - less awful. Sweeney - somewhat awful. Shoppach - awful.
Starting Rotation
The rotation was decent but they have not improved at all. Morales did very well, but it took a lot of pitches to get though his 5 innings of work. Buchholz has some trouble, but he wasn't awful. A couple of more runs of support and we would be thinking differently about his outing. Beckett settled down nicely after his terrible first inning. They were pretty close to a green arrow this time.
Bullpen
I may be a little generous this time. Mark Melancon was the stand-out performer in the series and continues to impress since returning from Pawtucket. The Bullpen made it interesting most of the series, but 2 out of 3 ain't bad.
Managing
Surrrreee, why not?
Overall
A series victory against the Rays was not what a lot of us were expecting. The team is coming together and 2-of-3 to start the second half is fine with me.
