Week The Third: April 17-23, 2016: Farrell's Follies

Sunday was the first Farrell Headscratcher, with a 2 run rally in the 9th closing the deficit to 5-3. With both Brock Holt and Dustin Pedroia sitting on the bench, Farrell lets Chris Young, Jackie Bradley Jr, and Ryan Hanigan bat. No, I don't know either. Marathon Monday was another puzzle, a 1-0 lead with 6 outs to go that he handed to Taz, and then Koji, who couldn't find home plate with a map and a compass today. Farrell apparently forgot that he had other relievers, watching two walks and a hit batsman and a hit and the game, a 4-3 loss. Tuesday brought a whole new level of agony, a one hit performance from Drew Smyly combined with a first inning injury to Joe Kelly, and finished off by 8 1/3 more shutout, bullpen taxing innings, and then a 10th frame implosion in a 3-0 defeat. On Wednesday, we shelled Chris Archer, of all people, for some early runs, along with a much needed strong effort from Ranger Rick Porcello in a 7-3 victory. Thursday's getaway game gave us our first David Price disaster, gone in the fourth in an 12-8 drilling. Friday found the Sox in Houston, a passel of early runs supporting Stephen Wright in a 6-2 win, but Saturday gave us Cowboy Clay's Struggling Road Show, an early shelling in an 8-3 loss that gives us a 2-5 week that seems prophetic.

Week The Second: April 10-16, 2016: "X Marks The Spot"

Sunday dawned with the Red Sox being Marco Estradaed into submission, a 3-0 whitewash. Monday gave us the first gut punch of the season, Baltimore's Chris Davis spoiling the home opener with a rocket to deep center off of Kimbrel to seal a 9-7 loss. Tuesday brought an early lead, which Buchholz gave back, and then yielded to the bullpen, who completed the shelling in a 9-5 loss. Wednesday brought 5 rough innings from Joe Kelly, but the offense picked him up for a 4-2 win. After Thursday's off day, Friday was those mean Jays again, and another hammering of Dickey in a 5-3 victory. Saturday was Price again, a 4-2 throttling of the Canadian power boys featuring a 3 run jack from the X Man that gives us a 3-3 week, 6-4 in toto.

Week The First: April 3-9, 2016: "Price Goest Before The Fall"

After a delay of one day thanks to some wretched Eastern US weather, the 2016 season began with David Price doing David Price things, 6 innings with 5 hits and 2 runs followed by Tazawa, Koji, and Craig Kimbrel, just like they drew it up in the playbook, along with homers from Mookie and Papi. Game two began with 2015 flashbacks, the Indians climbing all over Cowboy Clay Buchholz early. After tying the game at 6, the bullpen gave the lead right back courtesy of old friend Mike Napoli going yard off of Taz in a 7-6 loss. Another cancellation followed, and the Sox moved on to Toronto on Friday, nearly blowing another one when Joe Kelly got back to where he once belonged with a 3 inning disasterpiece. But the bullpen held fast and Brock Holt hit a grand slam, leading to a 8-7 win. On Saturday, Rick Porcello made his debut giving up some early runs, but the offense kicked the life out of RA Dickey, winning 8-4, giving us a 3-1 week that seems deceptively rosy.