Scary Start To The Red Sox Season

I was thinking last night about what the keys to the Red Sox season would be. Obviously they need their starters to be healthy, and someone to step up in the backend. They need the bullpen to handle all the changes that have come, and they need to figure out what they are going to do with their catcher/RF/SS spots in the bottom of their lineup. We have been over all that time and again though, so I was trying to think more about the team as a whole.

I think one of the keys is a fast start. Last season ended so bad that they really need to come out and start hot, so that fans (and themselves) will start to believe that last year is behind them. If not, this season could get ugly, really fast. If they come out of the gate losing you are going to hear more and more about trading your starting SS for nothing to save money. Your going to hear about not spending money on a back rotation pitcher, and so on and so forth.

This team does have a lot of talent. Not many teams have a top end of the rotation that has the "talent" of Beckett, Lester, Buchholz. Not a lot of teams have a top of a lineup that consists of guys like Ellsbury, Youk, Pedroia, Crawford, Gonzalez, Ortiz. Yet, if this team starts slow, the pressure in this town could get out of control, and you can already see the fanbase is out for blood. Hell, read Captain's post earlier today.

Ok, so we have come to the conclusion that they need to start fast. Here's the problem... The schedule is going to make that very, very hard to do.

Apr 5 @Det 1:05 PM
Apr 7 @Det 1:05 PM
Apr 8 @Det 1:05 PM
Apr 9 @Tor 7:07 PM
Apr 10 @Tor 7:07 PM
Apr 11 @Tor 12:37 PM
Apr 13 TB 2:05 PM
Apr 14 TB 4:05 PM
Apr 15 TB 1:35 PM
Apr 16 TB 11:05 AM
Apr 17 Tex 7:10 PM
Apr 18 Tex 7:10 PM
Apr 20 NYY 3:05 PM
Apr 21 NYY 4:05 PM
Apr 22 NYY 7:05 PM

That's the first 15 games right there. Pretty fucking rough if you ask me. No one wants to start the year having to go against Verlander, especially into a ballpark that is going to be going bonkers after signing Fielder. Then on to Toronto, which always seems to give the Red Sox trouble. They finally get home and they get the Rays and their crazy pitching staff, then Texas, then the Yankees. If the Red Sox get out of the beginning of the season going 7-8 or better I'd be damn impressed.