Boston Red Sox struggling to hit left-handed pitching
Before the 2015 season, he Boston Red Sox were predicted to be one of the elite offenses in the game and certainly the best offense in the American League East. That, however, hasn't gone according to plan.
As a team, the Sox slash line is .231/.314/.368, which is pretty average. As of May 13, the offense sits just above average in nearly every offensive category. They wouldn't be so bad, though, if they didn't have to face any lefties. As Boston.com points out, much of their struggles are coming against southpaws:
Other than Hanley Ramirez, who is batting .333 (8-for-24) with four homers against lefties, every other full-timer on the Sox roster ranges from mediocre to straight lousy in this particular category. Mike Napoli, whose season-opening slump is now over six weeks old, is a career .277 hitter against lefties, but down to .240 this year. Xander Bogaerts is 5-for-25 against lefties with zero RBIs. Even David Ortiz, who has always been solid vs. lefties (.266, 107 career homers) despite batting from the left side of the plate, is struggling mightily this season, with just five hits in 34 at-bats.
Right now, Sox hitters are slashing an abysmal .188/.291/.347 against left-handed pitching. They will matchup this weekend against Seattle Mariners, who shuffled their rotation to throw three lefties in the four-game set. Coincidence? Probably not.
(h/t Boston.com)
