With a rocky start to the 2014 season, the Red Sox are trying to climb up to the top of their division. After beginning the season with five wins and nine losses, the World Series champions have continued to be inconsistent. They recently won seven in a row after a losing streak of ten games.  In order to win another World Series, the Sox are going to need better run support and better pitching. Also, they need David Ortiz, Koji Uehara, and Xander Bogaerts to be as effective as they were in 2013.

Last year, in late August, the Red Sox called up Bogaerts, who was only 20 years old at the time. He was a big part of their postseason success. In the ALCS (American League Championship Series), he had nine at bats. Out of those Bogaerts had three doubles and three walks, which gave him a batting average of .500 and an on base percentage of .667. He helped the Red Sox defeat the Detroit Tigers in six games. In the World Series he had five hits, including a triple, and two RBIs (Runs Batted In). This season (as of May 17), Bogaerts was hitting a respectable .262 with two home runs and six RBIs. With his glove at shortstop and his bat in the lineup, the Red Sox should be able to work their way up in the standings. (Editor’s note – with the recent resigning of shortstop Stephen Drew, it looks like Bogaerts is headed to third base.)

David Ortiz was named the 2013 World Series MVP. He had a very productive regular season with a .309 batting average, 30 Home Runs, and 103 RBIs. Ortiz was not at the top of his game during the ALCS, only having two hits out of 22 at bats, but he did have one home run which could very well end up being the biggest hit in his career. After losing game one the Red Sox had their backs up against the wall losing 5-1 late in game two. With the bases loaded and two outs Ortiz came up to the plate and hit a grand slam off Joaquin Benoit, tying the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Red Sox would go on to win that game. In the World Series, Ortiz had 11 hits out of 16 at bats including two home runs, having an unbelievable .688 batting average. In the 2014 regular season (as of May 17) Ortiz was batting .303, and led the team in home runs, with 11. If Ortiz can hit like he did in 2013, the Red Sox have a good chance of going back to the postseason.

Koji Uehara, the Red Sox closer, is one of the main reasons why the Red Sox won the World Series. Uehara had a remarkable 2013 season. He pitched a total of 74.1 innings and struck out 101 batters, and only walked nine. By the end of the season he had a total of 21 saves and had a stellar 1.09 ERA (Earned Run Average). In the ALCS, Uehara pitched six innings and gave up zero runs, had three saves, and was named the ALCS MVP. In the World Series he pitched 4.2 innings and gave up zero runs and had two saves. In 2014 (as of May 17), he had pitched 16.2 innings and had only given up two runs. He had 25 strikeouts, nine saves, and a 1.08 ERA. If Uehara can continue to close out games for the Sox, they should be able to start winning more games.

With plenty of games left, the Red Sox have time to hone their skills. This year, Mike Napoli, who was a big part of the team, is having a solid season. As of May 17, 2014, Napoli had a .266 batting average, 22 RBIs, and five home runs. Dustin Pedroia led the team in hits, with 48, and doubles, with 15. Red Sox’s ace, Jon Lester had pitched in nine games in which he had four wins and five losses, and an ERA of 2.67. He should be able to start winning more games with more run support. With the loss of Jacoby Ellsbury during the offseason, the Red Sox will need the younger guys like Jackie Bradley Jr. and Xander Bogaerts to step up.