Like we all hoped they would, their stocked pitching rotation appears to be coming around. They have strung together quality starts and it looks like Josh Beckett and Jon Lester are over their early season struggles.
The offense has looked more consistent and the home run ball has been their best friend. They have hit the third most home runs in the majors with 40 dingers and have seven to start off this homestand. Adrian Beltre has caught fire and he has his average up to a .346 clip. Even more encouraging is that he has risen his slugging percentage over .100 points in the past 10 days and is sitting a healthy .468 clip.
The defense has been much better. Dustin Pedroia and Marco Scutaro in particular have been flashing the leather and making game-changing plays.
Some home cooking has done the team well. The Sox have won 56 home games in each of the past two seasons, and it's no secret they play their best baseball at Fenway.
One has to consider if the Angels are that bad. After being swept, they now have a 12-18 record and they look bad. This is not the Angels team of years past.
Looking ahead
Reinforcements are also on the way, as it appears that Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Cameron could begin rehab assignments within the week.
The next two weeks will be telling in determining whether this team is capable of improving on their .500+ record. With five games against the Yankees in eleven days, what the team's record looks like on May 19th will be telling.
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