4 Biggest Takeaways for the Boston Red Sox Following MLB Opening Week

Baseball is a game of attrition, which makes finding clear-cut takeaways after 5 percent of the season has been played a difficult proposition. David Ortiz's struggles (.188 average) in eight games aren't necessarily a sign that Big Papi is cooked, since it could just as easily be one of the many dips that occur during the ebbs and flows of MLB's never-ending season.

But that's not to say there aren't some things we can derive from the Boston Red Sox's early action. Here are a few things of note thus far.

Daniel Nava Still Matters

Amid all the talk of the Red Sox's deep outfield entering the season, Daniel Nava was the forgotten man. The high-profile Hanley Ramirez addition, the Mookie Betts hype train and the battle for the final starting outfield spot between Shane Victorino and Rusney Castillo dominated the headlines. Even Allen Craig's health and the trade rumors surrounding the right fielder/first baseman reported by Fox Sports' Jon Morosi (h/t MLB Trade Rumors' Steve Adams) trumped any discussion of what Nava brings to the table.

Despite flying under the radar, the 32-year-old late bloomer has shown his importance in the early going. Nava's started four of the eight contests to this point and has made the most of his limited opportunities. He's batting .357 on the young season with a .438 on-base percentage and five RBI.

A day after a crucial two-RBI single in the sixth inning of a 19-inning marathon against the New York Yankees, Nava drove in the Sox's first two runs the following day with a pair of line drives. That gave Boston a lead it would never relinquish. In his next start two days later, Nava smoked a frozen rope off Stephen Strasburg for a third-inning RBI single in a game the Red Sox would eventually win by a single run.

With Victorino's below-average play dating back to spring training and Castillo already landing on the Triple-A disabled list due to a shoulder injury, the significance of Nava can't be understated. The Red Sox's depth is already benefiting them early.

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Luck a Big Factor in Xander Bogaerts' Hot Start

On the surface, Xander Bogaerts' torrid start to the season appears highly encouraging. The shortstop is batting .433 with a .500 OBP and a team-high seven RBI to open 2015. What the stats don't show is the good fortune Bogaerts has experienced to this point.

The 22-year-old has had his fair share of seeing-eye singles and bloop hits to help boost that average. Meanwhile, he has just two extra-base hits on the year, with one of them being a misplayed flare down the right field line in Philadelphia that went for a three-RBI triple.

Acknowledging the luck Bogaerts has had isn't meant to take anything away from him; it's just worth pointing out when trying to assess what the hot start means.

Bogaerts has shown better patience at the plate and flashed improved range defensively, both things the Red Sox wanted to see in his second full season. But his hitting surge is more likely a product of those aforementioned ebbs and flows that happen during a season rather than a sign he's set to break out.

Red Sox Fortunate to Dodge Early Wave of Injury Scares

Just as injuries can play a big factor in a team's fortunes, avoiding injury scares can be equally important to a ballclub.

A balky hamstring created uncertainty about when Koji Uehara would be able to join the Red Sox. There was some thought they would ease him along and hold him out until May. Yet Boston activated the closer from the DL this past Monday, and he looked like his old self in his first save opportunity: a 1-2-3 ninth inning that featured a pair of strikeouts.

Bogaerts tweaked his knee rounding third base this past Monday, and then Pablo Sandoval left the following night's contest early after being drilled in the foot. Similar occurrences put former Yankees ace Chien-Ming Wang and Fenway Park fan favorite Dustin Pedroia on the shelf for months.

But the Red Sox again lucked out as their left side of the infield avoided serious damage. Bogaerts returned to the lineup Wednesday after a clean MRI, and Sandoval isn't expected to be sidelined long after tests revealed no structural damage, as manager John Farrell told NESN's Ricky Doyle.

And then there is Joe Kelly. Already seen as the weak link of the rotation, a biceps injury landed the right-hander on the DL before the season began. The arm issues at the onset of 2015 caused further questions about the right-hander's dependability given his career high in innings pitched is just 124.

After deeming him unfit to start this past Saturday in the Bronx, the Red Sox went back on that decision and sent Kelly out to face the Yankees. The results were better than anyone could have expected: one run allowed on one hit in seven innings pitched to go along with eight punchouts.

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

Boston's Pair of Wild-Card Starting Pitchers Is as Volatile as Ever

Clay Buchholz's and Justin Masterson's first starts of 2015 had Red Sox fans elated. Particularly chesty followers of the team may have even gone as far as to declare, "What starting-pitching questions?!" However, each of the duo's respective second starts was a harsh wake-up call to those eternal optimists who were ready to drink the Kool-Aid.

After a dazzling Opening Day start where Buchholz racked up nine strikeouts over seven scoreless innings, his second outing was the polar opposite.

An unimposing Yankees lineup pounded the two-time All-Star for nine runs on 10 hits in 3.1 innings pitched. His ERA ballooned from the 0.00 on April 6 to 7.84 just like that. It was 2014 all over again for Clay, who mixed in a pair of gems against subpar lineups a season ago (Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros) but was absolutely rocked in eight to nine other outings.

Masterson experienced a similar 2015 letdown on Tuesday night. After six innings of two-run ball on three hits in the opener, the 6'6" righty melted down in his second start against the Washington Nationals.

Masterson had a strong first four frames and was working with a five-run lead when he surrendered six runs in the fifth and was unable to finish the inning. The right-hander was battered by the bottom of the Washington order, something that tends to happen when you consistently leave balls over the heart of the plate. He saw his season ERA spike from 3.00 to 7.59.

One thing of note for Masterson is his decreased velocity. Instead of returning to his 2013 pitch speeds, when he averaged 93 mph on his fastball (reaching 97 at times) and 91 on his sinker (also topping out at 97), the now-healthy Masterson's numbers have gone the other way to start 2015.

FanGraphs' PITCHf/x notes his average fastball velocity this year has been just 88.3 mph while his sinker is clocking in at 86.4. He's also yet to feature his fourth pitch, the changeup, in either of his two starts.

It could be a less is more approach from Boston's staff in an attempt to curtail Masterson's well-documented wildness. Have him focus on movement and location rather than popping the mitt. If that's the case, it was all going according to plan through 10 innings until it all unraveled in that fateful fifth on April 14.

Barring a trade for a starting pitcher, the Red Sox will likely only go as far as Buchholz and Masterson can pitch them. Rick Porcello seems to be as advertised, but Boston can't count on Wade Miley and Joe Kelly to be No. 2- and No. 3-caliber starters. That responsibility rests with the pair of former All-Stars in Buchholz and Masterson. They've shown they can still reach those heights on the right night, but the consistency questions remain.

Note: Stats are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com or FanGraphs unless otherwise noted. All prospect rankings courtesy of BaseballAmerica.com.