MLB Season Preview: 2009 Boston Red Sox

Last year, the Boston Red Sox had the Tampa Bay Rays right where they wanted them, in a Game Seven after a deflating Game Six loss at home in the American League Championship Series. But the Rays found a way to swim out of the trap, and the Sox were denied a trip to their third World Series in five years.Boston dealt with injuries, saw new stars rise and fixtures depart from the rotation and lineup. Can they overcome it all again in the menacing AL East?

OFFENSE: B

Dustin Pedroia had the kind of season the Most Valuable Player Award is all about. While the numbers weren't exactly Pujols-like (.326, 17 homers, 83 RBI), without the scrappy, sparkplug second baseman, the loss of DH David Ortiz may well have sunk the Sox.Ortiz (.264, 23, 89) is back, as is MVP candidate 1B Kevin Youkilis (.312, 29, 115) and LF Jason Bay (.286, 31, 101) will get his first full season in front of the Monster.
A few provisos to this group, though: 3B Mike Lowell is coming off hip surgery, RF J.D. Drew is already dealing with back issues, C Jason Varitek is no longer a threat at the dish, and if anyone goes down, there's very little on the bench to back them up.
Fenway Park may be the big top, and the offense the highwire act.

PROJECTED LINEUP: 1 Ellsbury CF 2 Pedroia 2B 3 Ortiz DH 4 Youkilis 1B 5 Bay LF 6 Drew RF 7 Lowell 3B 8 Lowry/Lugo SS 9 Varitek C

STARTING PITCHING: B

This group also comes with a few catches, though not as potentially serious as the offense. Josh Beckett (12-10, 4.03 ERA) looked mortal in last year's postseason, and will need to bounce back from arm, back, and oblique problems. Tim Wakefield (10-11, 4.13) knuckles his way back into the rotation (at least temporarily) but how much does he have left? And Brad Penny and his hurting shoulder, coming off a less than stellar 2008, is slated in the five hole.
Now, yes, John Smoltz is waiting in the wings, and Clay Buchholz most assuredly will do better this year (2-9, 6.75), but, again, if injuries show their scabrous head, Boston could have a few issues with all but All-Stars Jon Lester (16-6, 3.21) and Daisuke Matsuzaka (18-3, 2.90)

PROJECTED ROTATION: Beckett, Lester, Matsuzaka, Wakefield, Penny

BULLPEN: A+

But, all in all, if this team gets out of the sixth with the lead, it'll be a mountain the size of Everest for the opposition to climb.Manny Delcarmen and Javier Lopez shore up the middle innings with strong work, Justin Masterson can spell for longer periods, and Takashi Saito comes over from the Dodgers to pitch in on the short relief front, just because.But the story begins and ends with stellar set-up man Hideki Okajima and the master of the Irish jig himself, Jonathan Papelbon.
Some big questions may yet arise, but the bullpen isn't one of them.

CONCLUSION

The Red Sox are in a war on three fronts.There's their hated and traditional rivals to the north, the New York Yankees, and their multi-millionaire additions Messrs. Sabathia, Burnett, and Teixeira.
The young shoguns of the stinger, the Rays, come from the Sun Coast and are still loaded for bear, and, maybe, own some space in the BoSox' head.
Then there is the enemy within: age and injury.
The Sox' window may be closing, closing fast, and, while it will be close right to the wire, may start closing harder this year.

PREDICTION: 85-77, third place in American League East