Boston Red Sox 2012 Projections: Statistics for Starters in Rotation

The 2012 Boston Red Sox rotation will be in the top-ten in 2012 and won't be the catalyst to another September collapse.

The starting pitching was atrocious last September after being great from April through August, but they could not get the job done in September. The 7-20 record was due to the way the starters pitched through injuries.

Now, with the top three starters coming back healthy, the Red Sox should be poised to make a deep postseason run in 2012.

Jon Lester, 21-5, 2.97 ERA

Jon Lester is probably the most consistent starter that the Boston Red Sox have at their disposal. His 2011 campaign went pretty well with a 15-9 record and a 3.47 ERA in 191.2 innings pitched. He made 31 starts.

Lester's September was dreadful, as he only won one of his six starts and lost three of the other five. His ERA for the month was 5.40.

Lester has won 15 or more games in four straight seasons and this stat will continue to go up in the next several seasons, as he should continue to contend for the Cy Young award.

Josh Beckett, 18-8, 3.21 ERA

Josh Beckett had a pretty impressive 2011 with a 13-7 record and a stellar 2.89 ERA in 30 starts and 193 innings pitched.

Beckett had trouble in September as well. His ERA was 5.48 in four starts and his record was 1-2. He also allowed 24 hits in only 23 innings and eventually blew a four-run lead against the Baltimore Orioles in late-September.

His 2012 season will be more consistent on a wins basis and he will show everyone that he is not the cancer some reporters and fans thinks he is.

Clay Buchholz, 16-9, 3.55 ERA

After an injury-plagued 2011 season, Clay Buchholz will be a more efficient starter in 2012. He keeps getting better in his young career and 2012 will be no different, if he can remain on the field.

Buchholz finished with a 6-3 record in 14 starts before not making a single appearance from mid-June through the end if the season.He says his back is back to normal, but we shall see what 150 or more innings will do to him in August and September.

Daniel Bard, 10-7, 3.88 ERA

Daniel Bard will have a breakthrough season as a fourth starter for the Boston Red Sox in 2012. He may struggle, at times, during his first full season as a stater. but he will win some big starts with help from the Red Sox offense.

Bard also struggled in September last year with a 10.64 ERA and four losses in 11 games with the team. He lost nine games in all of 2011 and maybe it is a good idea to see how he can be in a starter role.

Daisuke Matsuzaka, 5-8, 4.85 ERA

In the seven games he started in 2011, Daisuke Matsuzaka had a 3-3 record with a 5.30 ERA. When he comes back from Tommy John's surgery in early-June, he will be the same pitcher he was before the injury.

In 2012, he will continue to walk and hit batters at an alarming rate but his ERA will not take too much of a hit unless he can't get out of those innings as he did in 2010 and 2009.