Red Sox are 2-4

As of Sunday, the Boston Red Sox own a 7-4 overall record. Yet the one Red Sox Nation will follow more closely this year is how the Sox do in games not pitched by Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett. As of April 15, that record holds at 2-4.

Now, before folks go running for the proverbial Tobin Bridge, remember a few things. Matt Clement has always been a very good first half pitcher. Sure, he threw up a stinker last week against the Jays. Even last year when he didn’t lose any games for the first month or so, there were more than a few shaky starts. The Red Sox bats bailed him out.

Tim Wakefield, as Coach Bill Belichick would say, “is what he is.” In his career, he’s 145-124 and hasn’t had a sub-.500 record since 2001.

As for the number 5 hole, that’s another Stat Man column for another day. Yet it could define the entire season as the Red Sox have to ask: are we a better overall team with Jonathan Papelbon as the fifth starter and Keith Foulke as the closer or with young Papi in the pen and a to-be-determined starter. Stay tuned…