Life without Ortiz

Life without Ortiz


On Tuesday night, Jon Lester was awful and the Red Sox offense was lacking in a 7-5 loss to Chicago. To make matters worse, the other Sox were led by a vengeful Kevin Youkilis, who seems to have lost 20 pounds of fat and added 10 pounds of muscle in the two weeks since leaving Boston.

On Wednesday night, the game was delayed due to a tornado warning.

Yeah, I’m not sure the David Ortz/DL Era could have started much worse for the Sox. You could already see Ortiz watching it all unfold from the dugout, rubbing his hands together and thinking: “Oh yesss. What’s up, Larry? How you enjoying life without Papi? Bahahaha!”

With the way this season’s gone, you really had to wonder if the Sox would survive these two weeks without Ortiz. While he’s been a huge pain in the ass off the field, he’s still been Boston’s undisputed best player. He’s the biggest reason they’re only one game out of a playoff spot. For three and a half months, Ortiz was the glue in that line-up and things were still on the verge of falling apart. But now . . . Who would step up in his absence? Who would be there on the nights when no one else showed?

There may still be times over the next two weeks when we find ourselves asking those questions, but last night wasn’t one of them. Last night, after an inauspicious start to Life Without Papi, the Sox gave us reason to believe. Not just that they can survive sans No. 34, but that once he comes back, Ortiz and the Sox will have what it takes to turn this season around.

Of course, who knows? We’ve been here before with this team. We’ve gotten our hopes up, only see them crumpled up and crapped on. To quote a wise, wise man, the Sox “play on the field has at times tested the mettle of the faithful. It could be maddening one day, enthralling the next.” As a result, we’ve learned not to get carried away.

But at the very least, we can all agree that last night was a lot of fun.

First of all, the Sox are a different team with Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford atop the line-up. In three games, they’ve taken Boston from borderline unwatchable to one of the most exciting teams in baseball. As long they’re healthy, Crawford and Ellsbury will continue to change the game. They’ll make opposing pitchers dizzy and make life a whole lot easier for everyone who’s hitting behind them.

Doesn’t Crawford already look more confident and comfortable than he did at any point last season? Kill the guy all you want for the money and the injuries, but right now he's ready to play.

Same goes for Adrian Gonzalez, who’s 9-16 (.563) with two homers and nine RBI in four games since the All-Star Break. His average is up to .296, he’s in the top 10 in the AL in hits, the top five in doubles and the power looks like it’s creeping back. Speaking of power, Cody Ross is healthy again, judging by his two home runs that traveled a combined marathon. And did I mention that Dustin Pedroia is coming back tonight? Believe it or not, he found that sometimes it's beneficial to take a seat and let yourself heal. He's ready to roll.

And suddenly, we're left to wonder: Instead of the Sox falling apart without Ortiz, might we remember this stretch as the time when this team finally came together?

When Ellsbury, Crawford and Pedroia all returned, and with a hell of a lot to prove. When Gonzalez and Ross had no choice but to pick up the slack and carry the RBI burden. And that when David Ortiz comes back in two weeks, he'll no longer have to play the role of savior for a beat up and worn down line-up. Instead, he'll come back as the final piece to what was originally supposed to be one of the most imposing line-ups in baseball.

And there I go getting carried away.

I know, Larry. I'm sorry. I should learn from your sage words. As enthralled as I am right now, I must be prepared for my mettle to be tested. It will be so unbelievably maddening!

But for now, despite all the Red Sox will lose with David Ortiz on the DL, last night gave us a reason to be optimistic about all they'll gain in the meantime.