First-Half Red Sox Review: The (many) highs and (occasional) lows

Sure, it's something of a misnomer to refer to the first 98 games as "the first half.'' Thanks to the early start to the season, the Red Sox are significantly past the midway point. In fact, during their first homestand after the All-Star break, the Sox will have completed exactly two-thirds of their regular season schedule.

But we digress.

Term it what you want, but the first 98 games of the season have delivered plenty of highlights and only a handful of disappointments. Before things re-start Friday in Detroit, here's a look back at the good, the bad, and more than anything, the most memorable moments of the first three-and-a-half months of the 2018 season.

THE GOOD

1. J.D. Martinez. Everything about the start of Martinez's career in Boston has been delayed. There was his signing -- rumored from last fall, but not completed until the end of February. Then, he went all of spring training without hitting a homer. Then, he went the first six games without homering in the regular season.

Then, he started hitting and seemingly never stopped. He leads all of baseball in RBI, is tied for the home run lead and is second in total bases. And remember when it was suggested that Fenway might not be a good ballpark for him? His 19 homers in 45 home games and a .775 slugging percentage beg to differ.

Unquestionably, the best Red Sox free agent signing since Manny Ramirez.

2. Mookie Betts. His terrific season has placed him smack dab in the middle of the "Best Overall Player in the Game'' debate. He's done it all from atop the Red Sox batting order, in the outfield and on the bases.

Credit manager Alex Cora for envisioning Betts as a difference-maker in the leadoff spot and encouraging him to be aggressive in his approach. Betts has benefited from the confidence shown in him and also taken full advantage of having Martinez -- a true student of hitting -- in the clubhouse and dugout.

Apart from what figures to be a photo finish between the Sox and New York Yankees for the A.L. East division title, we can also look forward to the MVP race, currently a three-man contest between Betts, Mike Trout and Jose Ramirez.

3. Chris Sale. It's understood that, as is the case for the team in general, Chris Sale's story won't be complete until we see him in September and October. After all, Sale had a similarly stupendous first four months last season before tiring in the final two months and getting rocked in Game 1 of the ALDS.

But for now, let's appreciate what Sale has accomplished: first in the A.L. in strikeouts; first in ERA; first in WAR; and second in WHIP.

Even more encouraging: Sale has pitched his best baseball of the season in the last two months, and his velocity is trending up -- not down -- as the dog days of the season approach.

4. Xander Bogaerts. What a difference a year makes. Last year, Bogaerts was overly passive at the plate, consistently falling behind in the count and being on the defensive during his at-bats. But he adapted a far more aggressive approach at the plate and the results have been obvious.

Of course, some of this has to do with improved health. Bogaerts essentially hit one-handed for much of the final three months of last season and the power numbers dropped precipitously. Healthy and newly confident, he looks like a completely different player. At the break, he's already surpassed his homer and RBI totals from 2017.

Defensively, some metrics are not kind to him, a reflection of his rather limited range at the position. But importantly, he's cut down on the sloppy throws and made just five errors.

5. Alex Cora. How much difference can a manager make? The Red Sox are finding out. Cora set the proper tone from the beginning, encouraging players to have fun, be themselves and disregard the outside noise.

There have been no clubhouse eruptions and the team has played hard at all times. They've stayed out of losing streaks, displayed strong fundamentals, and showed remarkable resiliency.

For someone with next-to-no managerial experience, he's run games well, maintained a consistent approach and been relative candid in his dealings with the media. It's too soon to know whether he wins Manager of the Year, but it's not to soon to determine the Red Sox made the right choice in hiring him.

THE BAD

1. Eduardo Nunez. It looked like a smart move to bring back Nunez in the spring, especially given the uncertainty surrounding Dustin Pedroia. The idea was that Nunez would hold down second base in Pedroia's absence and then transition to the super utility role in which he excelled in the final two months of 2017.

But Pedroia didn't come back -- other than for three games -- and Nunez got exposed as an everyday second baseman, displaying little range and an alarming inability to, you know, catch the ball at times. With startling regularity, he dropped relay throws and throws from the catcher on stolen base attempts.

Over the last month, he's been a bit better as he (more or less) platoons with Brock Holt. But whether it's his knee, or his age, he hasn't shown that same offensive dynamism he brought to last year's team. And even allowing for the fact that he's always been a free swinger, Nunez has 11 walks in 310 at-bats, which translates to one walk every week and a half.

2. Christian Vazquez. Injured now with a broken pinky finger and likely sidelined until nearly September, Vazquez was a major disappointment in the first half of the season.

The second-half offensive growth he showed last season is now a distant memory...or a mirage. Vazquez was, until the last few weeks before his injury, inept at the plate.

Worse, his defensive play was subpar. He'd get sloppy at times and the coaching staff had to get on him regarding his preparation. Maybe it's just an off-year, but the nagging question persists: did the Red Sox make a mistake in extending his contract in spring training?

3.Drew Pomeranz. Following a season that saw him emerge as the team's second-best starter (17 wins, a 3.32 ERA), much was expected of the lefty. And with free agency on the horizon this fall, there was plenty of incentive for him to follow up his success from 2017 and make himself a starting pitcher in demand on the open market.

Except, in an eerie flashback to last year, he suffered a forearm injury in spring training, which delayed his progress and set him back some. And when he finally rejoined the rotation, he was a major disappointment, pitching to a 6.81 ERA and compiling a bloated WHIP of 1.838.

Worse, Pomeranz, having been sidelined with biceps tendonitis, still hasn't worked through the mechanical issues that derailed him during the season. It would seem that the best the Sox could expect from him going forward would be some contribution out of the bullpen, but even that is far from assured.

TOP 10 MOMENTS (The Good and the Bad)

1. Opening Day Meltdown  (March 29): The Sox were sailing along, with Sale giving them seven shutout innings. Then, Joe Kelly and Carson Smith conspired to allow six runs in the eighth to lead to a dispiriting loss. The defeat invited the question: Is this a preview of coming attraction? Fortunately for the Sox, the answer turned out to be: No.

2. The Comeback (April 8): It may have only been the third series of the year and may have only been the Tampa Bay Rays as the opponent, but when the Sox rallied for six runs in the eighth, it demonstrated a resiliency and toughness that would be a hallmark of their season to date.

3-The Brawl with the Yankees (April 11): Even before the teams established themselves as the class of the American League, they met at Fenway in the fourth series of the year for the Sox. After a questionable takeout slide by Tyler Austin, Joe Kelly plunked Austin, then beckoned him to come settle their differences on the mound. The resulting fisticuffs gave Kelly temporary cult hero status in New England and set the tone for a renewed rivalry.

4. The No-Hitter (April 21): There were the Red Sox, sailing along, having won 17 of their first 19, and coming off a sweep of the Angels in which they outscored their opponents by a margin of 27-3. Then, in their second game in Oakland, the Red Sox were held hitless by A's lefty Sean Manaea. It marked the first time the Sox had been no-hit in 25 years and sent the Sox into their first mini-tailspin. They would lose five of their next seven.

5. The Carpal Tunnel Diagnosis (May 8): Just in case you had deluded yourself into thinking that this season would be drama-free when it came to David Price, the first visit to Yankee Stadium disproved that silly notion. The Sox announced that Price would be scratched for his scheduled start in the second game of the series and was being sent to Boston for an examination of his left hand. He returned to New York the next day and held an extraordinary press conference in front of his locker, detailing his video-game habits and his long list of allergies plus the resulting ''mild carpal tunnel syndrome'' diagnosis.

6. Hanley DFA'd (May 25): It was widely assumed that the Red Sox would designate underachieving Blake Swihart when they needed a roster spot for Dustin Pedroia. Instead, the Sox shocked the world with the announcement that they were cutting ties with Hanley Ramirez. Ramirez had had a wretched May, and sure, there were concerns about his vesting option for 2019. But nobody saw this coming. Things would later get stranger still with (unsubstantiated) stories that tied Ramirez to a drug ring.

7. The Astros Series (May 31-June 2): This was billed as a rematch of last October's ALDS, and a chance for the Red Sox to demonstrate that A) they had improved and could B) compete with the league's best teams. For the first two games, the Sox were competitive, but lost both. Then, just as Dustin Pedroia was going back on the DL and Mookie Betts was sent to the DL, the Red Sox awoke and won the final two games of the series (started by Justin Verlander and Charlie Morton) and made a statement of their own.

8-Porcello beats the Nationals with his arm and his bat (July 2): The Sox were reeling a bit, having just dropped two-of-three to the Yankees, including the Price Debacle on Sunday Night Baseball. But in the opener in Washington, Porcello out-pitched former teammate Max Scherzer and clubbed a bases-loaded double against his good friend. The sight of a slightly embarrassed and somewhat shocked Porcello, standing on second base, will be a lasting image of the season.

9. Mookie's epic at-bat (July 12): It was a mid-week, fourth-inning at-bat against yet another lousy American League opponents. But Mookie Betts and J.A. Happ battled mano y mano for 12 pitches -- foul balls, dropped pop-ups, balls in the dirt -- before Betts electrified Fenway with a grand slam. As he left the batter's box, Betts exhibited a joy that he had seldom shown, and as he sprinted around the bases, seemed as if the ancient ballpark was about to lift off its moorings.

10. Walk-off grand slam by Bogaerts (July 14): Two grand slam in three games? Yup. Unlike the one hit by Betts, this one came in extra innings and capped a win that saw the Sox lose the lead in the seventh, tie it in the ninth and reclaim it for good in the 10 when Xander Bogaerts drilled a ball to the flagpole in center.