The Boston Red Sox' offense is good. At least that's what the overall offensive numbers say when compared to their Major League Baseball brethren.
Entering this weekend, it ranked sixth overall in batting average (.276), home runs (97), slugging percentage (.439) and total bases (1,449).
It ranked fifth in runs scored (481) and runs batted in (462) and fourth overall in doubles (197) and triples (45).
Three of Boston's everyday players - Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz and Mike Lowell - made the American League All-Star team, while two others, Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia, both hitting over .300, were worthy candidates, too.
Couple that with one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, and outsiders must wonder what the problem is.
Why are the Red Sox, still a healthy seven-plus games in first place, drawing the ire and panic from a few million New Englanders?
While the easy answer, at least on offense, has been the ineptitude of both pricey free-agent additions, J.D. Drew and Julio Lugo, who combined to sign contracts totaling $100 million, they are not alone.
It's not the overall numbers that are so alarming. It's the numbers from crunch time, or clutch time - from the seventh inning on when the Sox have either been ahead by a run or within two runs of the lead.
Since June 1, here are some of the head-shaking numbers:
* Alex Cora (1 for 13) is .077.
* Eric Hinske (1 for 8) is .125.
* Mike Lowell (3 for 28) is .107.
* Julio Lugo (3 for 19) is .158.
* Doug Mirabelli (1 for 6) is .167.
* Kevin Youkilis (2 for 19) is .105.
* And, worst of all, is Manny Ramirez (2 for 22) at an appalling .091.
Believe it or not, it gets much worse, and includes more players, when you include runners in scoring position (the famed RISP stat).
Since June 1, Cora, Hinske, Lowell, Ortiz, Pedroia, Wily Mo Pena, Ramirez and Youkilis are all hitting a Blutarsky-esque .000. All have gone hitless with runners in scoring position during clutch time.
Coco Crisp, Drew, Lugo and Jason Varitek aren't much better, each have one hit apiece during clutch time since the beginning of June.
Entering this weekend, it ranked sixth overall in batting average (.276), home runs (97), slugging percentage (.439) and total bases (1,449).
It ranked fifth in runs scored (481) and runs batted in (462) and fourth overall in doubles (197) and triples (45).
Three of Boston's everyday players - Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz and Mike Lowell - made the American League All-Star team, while two others, Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia, both hitting over .300, were worthy candidates, too.
Couple that with one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, and outsiders must wonder what the problem is.
Why are the Red Sox, still a healthy seven-plus games in first place, drawing the ire and panic from a few million New Englanders?
While the easy answer, at least on offense, has been the ineptitude of both pricey free-agent additions, J.D. Drew and Julio Lugo, who combined to sign contracts totaling $100 million, they are not alone.
It's not the overall numbers that are so alarming. It's the numbers from crunch time, or clutch time - from the seventh inning on when the Sox have either been ahead by a run or within two runs of the lead.
Since June 1, here are some of the head-shaking numbers:
* Alex Cora (1 for 13) is .077.
* Eric Hinske (1 for 8) is .125.
* Mike Lowell (3 for 28) is .107.
* Julio Lugo (3 for 19) is .158.
* Doug Mirabelli (1 for 6) is .167.
* Kevin Youkilis (2 for 19) is .105.
* And, worst of all, is Manny Ramirez (2 for 22) at an appalling .091.
Believe it or not, it gets much worse, and includes more players, when you include runners in scoring position (the famed RISP stat).
Since June 1, Cora, Hinske, Lowell, Ortiz, Pedroia, Wily Mo Pena, Ramirez and Youkilis are all hitting a Blutarsky-esque .000. All have gone hitless with runners in scoring position during clutch time.
Coco Crisp, Drew, Lugo and Jason Varitek aren't much better, each have one hit apiece during clutch time since the beginning of June.
The Red Sox have mustered only four hits in 52 attempts (.077) with no home runs. Nobody, not even "The Clutchest Red Sox hitter of All-Time," according to Red Sox owner John Henry - Ortiz - has been able to emulate his previous successes during crunch time.
Surprisingly, Varitek and Pedroia have statistically bucked the trend when it comes to hitting in the late innings of close games since the first two months of the season.
Varitek is batting .370 (10 for 27), while Pedroia is even better at .429, going 9 for 21.
Ortiz isn't that far behind at .292 (7 for 24), but he has yet to hit a late-inning homer to win a game or even get the Sox back to even. Maybe we were spoiled by him continually carrying this team when the pressure mounted most.
It should be a cause for concern because world champions in baseball usually do their best work at the end of games.
Mariano Rivera? Good, maybe even very good these days, but over the last four season he has been very beatable against your Red Sox late in games. Nothing quite like a walkoff homer to unite a struggling player to his team, or the other way around.
What happens is come late September and October, you are going to have to win a game or two by coming from behind. Pitching, even superior pitching, isn't enough.
While clutch hitting is what put Ortiz on the major league superstar map, it is a shared trait.
A Lugo or Lowell single, tying the game in the ninth inning, is every bit as important as an Ortiz walkoff moon beam in the 10th inning.
Lugo's grand slam on Friday night was the closest the Red Sox have come to a big, late hit since the beginning of June. While it technically isn't covered here in our clutch stat, it sure felt like it did.
At least that might be a start.
Bill Burt is executive sports editor for Eagle-Tribune Publishing. E-mail him at bburt@eagletribune.com.
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