Power outage: The Red Sox are really missing David Ortiz
While David Ortiz is likely sitting on a beach somewhere, sipping a pina colada and enjoying his retirement, the Boston Red Sox offense continues to flounder.
There was always an understanding that the historic offensive numbers the club put up last season wouldn't be replicated after losing one of the franchise's greatest hitters, but the Red Sox didn't believe runs would be this hard to come by early on, either.
Boston has dropped three of its last four games and has scored just 13 runs over its last six. The team was even shut out twice in the last week.
The Red Sox miss Ortiz and here's a look at why they're struggling to score without him:
Power outage
It's hard to believe that a team that makes hitter-friendly Fenway Park its home sits dead last in the majors in home runs. But 20 games into the season, that's where the Red Sox find themselves.
They've gone deep just 11 times - five in 10 games at Fenway - and have 29 less homers than the league-leading Milwaukee Brewers. Heck, even Eric Thames has matched Boston's total - in 612 less at-bats.
APRIL STATS
| PLAYER | YEAR | GP | 2B | HR | AVG/OBP/SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Ortiz | 2016 | 22 | 11 | 5 | .321/.418/.654 |
| Mookie Betts | 2017 | 17 | 5 | 2 | .324/.395/.485 |
| Andrew Benintendi | 2017 | 19 | 4 | 1 | .347/.419/.440 |
| Hanley Ramirez | 2017 | 16 | 3 | 1 | .215/.282/.308 |
| Xander Bogaerts | 2017 | 16 | 1 | 0 | .311/.354/.328 |
| Dustin Pedroia | 2017 | 16 | 1 | 0 | .258/.329/.274 |
The Red Sox have hit 36 doubles and two triples through 20 contests, and are managing 3.9 runs per game. Their .719 OPS is 17th in the majors. Andrew Benintendi, Mookie Betts, and Xander Bogaerts all have high averages, but are failing to hit much for extra bases, while veterans Hanley Ramirez and Dustin Pedroia have struggled at the plate.
The Red Sox didn't hit a ton of home runs last April either, ranking 26th in the league with 19, but they were saved by a barrage of doubles (66) and triples (9) that helped push 5.25 runs across per game.
RISP issues
Not only are the Red Sox finding difficulty hitting for extra bases, but they're also having trouble cashing in runs when they do get men in scoring position.
Boston went 0-for-7 with a runner in scoring position during a 3-1 loss to the New York Yankees on Wednesday, and fell to 5-for-42 (.119) in that scenario over its last six games.
One key factor has been the double play. An absolute rally killer, the Red Sox have hit into the third-most double plays this season (24), including an MLB-leading 12 with runners in scoring position.
Ortiz, meanwhile, hit .343/.454/.636 with 10 home runs, 12 doubles, and 77 RBIs with runners in scoring position last season.
Lack of a run game
One projected benefit to no longer employing Ortiz was that Boston would be faster and more aggressive on the basepaths, but the club is actually running much less this season.
Boston ranked first in the majors with 21 steals last April, converting on 91 percent of its attempts. Betts and Bogaerts combined to swipe 11 bags alone.
This year, though, the Red Sox rank in the middle of the pack with 10 stolen bases and have been much less efficient, getting thrown out five times. Betts and Bogaerts only have five stolen bases between them.
Not only are the Red Sox not trying to steal, but they aren't running the bases well either. Last season, Boston gained a strong reputation for being aggressive and making smart reads while running, posting 4.8 UBR - a Fangraphs statistic that measures value players add on the basepaths outside of stolen bases. Through 20 games this season, the Red Sox sit 29th with a -4.4 rating.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)