State of the Red Sox: We Break Down Drama-Filled Start For The Red Sox, With David Ortiz, Cody Ross Shining

You might be surprised to see the logo on the right headlining a story here on GameDay, but those who follow New York baseball should also know all about the team that calls Fenway Park home. That's the exact reason we brought in Matt Straub as our new Red Sox columnist. Nobody knows Red Sox baseball like Matt, so he's a great addition to the team. It also means you have three team breakdowns to sink your teeth into each week, with the State of the Mets column every Saturday, the State of the Yankees column every Sunday, and now our State of the Red Sox piece every Monday. As always, we want to hear what you have to say about your favorite (or least favorite) team below in the comments section.

  Opening Statement  

The Red Sox are not going to be boring, that’s for sure. After one of the most tumultuous offseasons in franchise history, the Sox got onto the field last week, which many fans hoped would turn the attention from the circus surrounding the team back to the field. That circus included a former manager fighting with the new one, the new manager fighting with a team legend, a report the players were fighting each other, and the new manager fighting with two different shows on a Boston radio station. Bobby Valentine’s first few months in Boston have made some miss hearing about chicken and beer, but the start of a new season was supposed to end all that nonsense. It wasn’t long before Red Sox Nation wanted to look anywhere but at the field. A good weekend, however, has renewed hope.

David Ortiz celebrates with Cody Ross Sunday. (AP photo)

  The High Point  

This isn’t hard. The Red Sox came home after a disastrous road trip and won the first three in a four-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays, a team they beat only twice in Boston all of last season. Sunday’s effort might have been the most encouraging of the weekend. Not only did the offense stay hot, but the Sox got both timely hitting and clutch pitching from their relievers, something that was sorely lacking during the road trip. Vicente Padilla could be sliding into Alfred Aceves’ role this year while Aceves serves as the closer. Padilla was strong again Sunday, and has shown he can work long stretches and pitch well in tight games. He could end up a key piece in the bullpen, working short and long relief.

  The Low Point  

Other than the 1-5 start or the Bobby Valentine show? That would be the injury to Jacoby Ellsbury, who was injured on a slide and dislocated his right shoulder. He could miss two months (the team, as usual, is being vague about the specifics), forcing the Red Sox to explore trade options for their extremely thin outfield (Carl Crawford is also about until at least May). It also has thrown the batting order into flux and removed the team’s sparkplug. Ellsbury had just started to shake his reputation as being brittle with a great 2011. Now he’s hurt. Again.

Jacoby Ellsbury was put on the 15-day disabled list. (AP photo)

  Three Up  

David Ortiz: Not only has he joined Dustin Pedroia as a serious team leader this year, but he is off to one of the best starts of his career. He finished Sunday with 16 hits in April after failing to get more than 23 in any of the last three Aprils. He’s also getting big hits again.

Mike Aviles: He will likely be asked to carry most of the leadoff duties until Ellsbury returns. He homered from that spot Saturday, then did it again Sunday. He also made a sensational defensive play Sunday, saving a run with a diving stop and great throw to the plate. Seeing him in person Sunday, I noticed the energy with which he plays. He’s all over the place in the field, chasing every ball. That has to be contagious.

Cody Ross: Granted, “be better than J.D. Drew” is not a high standard to live up to, but Ross has been great in the bottom third of the order. The players all seem to like him, and he homered twice over the weekend, during which he went from solid to red-hot. His defense is spotty at times, but his energy and offense will make him a fan favorite in a Trot Nixon kind of way by year’s end.

  Three Down  

Kevin Youkilis: It’s never fair to call a player done in April (ask Mariano Rivera), but Youk’s bat has looked slow and recent injury-filled seasons have to make the Nation think he’s breaking down. If his fielding stays above average the Sox can live with decreased production at the plate, but not too much. It’s not a problem now, but if he’s still struggling in June, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Sox make a move.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia: Catchers aren’t supposed to be asked to hit much, but his first couple of weeks has been less than inspiring. He is in danger of seeing Kelly Shoppach get more of his playing time.

Clay Buchholz: Supposedly healthy and undoubtedly a big piece of the rotation, Buchholz has yet to give up less than five runs in a game. That’s not going to get it done. Josh Beckett bounced back. It’s time for the young stud in the rotation to do the same.

  What's Next?  

The schedule maker must be a Yankees fan. After having the Sox start the year at Detroit and then at an underrated Toronto team, the Sox hosted Tampa and will get Texas, the two-time defending AL champs, and the Yankees this week. At least the series are in Boston. Much of the focus will be surrounding the 100th anniversary of the park, since the first Opening Day was April 20, 1912. Boston beat the New York Highlanders that day. I wonder whatever happened to those guys? The Red Sox and Yankees will wear special throwback uniforms to commemorate the day Friday.

More from Matt Straub:
Remembering the Hartford Whalers exit from the NHL 15 years ago