How's the pitching-speed-defense going up north?

        Of course, this is way too small a sampling to make any sweeping judgments. The most ridiculous one I saw over the weekend compared Jason Heyward’s first 12 career games as a Brave to Hank Aaron’s first 12 career games as a Brave. Please.

        Still, you can’t get past the fact that the Red Sox are already six games out of first place in a division that isn’t going to be so forgiving.

         The conclusion I draw so far is that the whole pitching-speed-defense philosophy works well if you have Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Maury Wills. It certainly isn’t so hot if you’re counting on David Ortiz for offense and he is batting only .158.

         In getting swept by the Rays, including yesterday’s morning matchup on Patriots Day, the Red Sox went 0-for-24 with runners in scoring position. Around Boston, the concern is not so much that they’re not hitting as they’re not trying. Dustin Pedroia said after the 8-2 loss Monday, “When you don’t show up, you’re going to get beat. Doesn’t matter if it’s the Rays or …Brookline High.”

       Brookline is where Boston GM Theo Epstein went to school.

       Again, it is way early to judge the new plan in The Hub, but it is not too early to wonder what the summer would look like for the Yankees if the Red Sox were not in a race with them.