After Ortiz comes to the plate, question marks start to linger, but if JD Drew, Youkilis/Pedroia, and Mike Lowell all hit like they are capable; the Red Sox lineup will be just as potent as the Tigers lineup will.
With Jason Varitek and Julio Lugo bringing up the rear end of the lineup, it allows the opposing pitchers to take some deep breaths, seeing how they aren't dealing with the likes of what they just had to go through. With that said, Varitek and Lugo can both hurt you, and have proven that they can come through in the clutch at times.
The thing that sets apart the Red Sox and Tigers is the pitching staffs.
With Josh Beckett (20-7, 3.27 ERA, 1.14 WHIP) being the ace of all aces in the AL, the Red Sox have one of the most dominant pitchers on the mound every fifth game.
After Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka (15-12, 4.40 ERA, 1.32 WHIP) has shown that he can handle the rigors of MLB, and looks to be a good option as a No. 2 starter. If he grows, as a pitcher, he will be even better than he was last season. I would look for a 17-10 type season from Dice-K this year.
Curt Schilling (9-8, 3.87 ERA, 1.25 WHIP) pitched through injuries last season, and missed time, but looks to bounce back and be his normal self this season. As a No. 3 starter, having a former Cy Young winner is not a bad option. He might be losing some of his luster, but if he can stay healthy, and pitch like he did two seasons ago, the 1-2-3 part of this rotation will be tough to handle. I don't think he will live up to his potential, and I think he will miss time this year due to injury, but he will stay above .500.
Tim Wakefield (17-12, 4.76 ERA, 1.35 WHIP) is the "X-factor" of the pitching staff. He can be on at any given moment, or he could get lit up at any given moment. Yes, that's true for most pitchers, but none more than the knuckleballer here. He had a good season last year, and the Red Sox are looking to feed off that again. If they get another 17-win season from Wakefield, I fear this team could easily win 100 games, plus some.
With Jon Lester as the fifth starter, it's a given that this team will win 100 games. He might be the most talented young pitcher in the game today. He has proven himself a winner in limited time, so far. His career mark of 11-2 is impressive, but his true potential has not been tapped into yet. It is still to be seen if he can make it a full season, as a MLB starter, and if he can last the entire year, I'd imagine he would work himself up to the No. 2 spot in the rotation, and give the Red Sox two 20-game winners for years to come, considering Beckett is only turning 28 this season.
Teams don't like facing the Boston starters, but they like facing the Boston bullpen even less.
With Hideki Okajima, Manny Delcarmen, Javier Lopez, Kyle Snyder, and Julian Tavarez, the Red Sox have the least-hittable bullpen in baseball. The Red Sox led the league in team ERA last season, and this bullpen was a big reason why.
And, I didn't even get to the biggest reason why the bullpen is so scary.
Jonathan Papelbon.
The man is a monster. He is the game's best closer, on the best team. That is a scary combination, if I've ever heard one.
The worst thing about him is that he had an off-year last year!
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