Much has been made of the Red Sox’ uncanny ability to drive in two-out runs, and deservedly so. Of the 28 post-season runs they’ve scored entering today’s Game 3 of the ALCS against the Rays, 18 have been scored with two outs.
But that exposes an underlying problem with the Red Sox’ offense. Generally they get only one run and occasionally two with those two-out hits. Big innings have vanished from the Red Sox playbook.
Terry Francona is fond of saying “keep the line moving” when the Red Sox reach base repeatedly in multiple-run rallies, and it moved and revolved smoothly from 2003-2007. But injuries have decimated the current lineup, and now the line stops moving as soon as the bottom third of their batting order comes up.
And even if a couple of those guys do get on base, the line stalls again at the top of the order.
Entering today’s game, Mark Kotsay, Jed Lowrie, Jason Varitek, and Coco Crisp — the batters found most often in the bottom third of the lineup — had driven in just two runs in 68 combined at-bats during the post-season. Both RBI belonged to Lowrie.
Varitek had no RBI in 21 at-bats, Kotsay none in 20, Lowrie two in 17, and Crisp zero in 10.
Compounding the problems turning the batting order over is that leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury entered the game in an 0-for-17 slump. No. 2 hitter Dustin Pedroia began the post-season 0-for-15 before his bat finally came alive in Game 4 of the ALDS.
As a consequence, the biggest inning the Sox have had in their first six post-season games was a four-run first inning in Game 2 of the ALDS. Twice they have scored three runs in an inning. All other scoring innings have produced just one or two runs.
Very unSox-like.