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Massarotti: 5 Questions About Red Sox Early In 2015 Season

BOSTON (CBS) -- The Baltimore Orioles have averaged slightly more than 91 wins over the last three seasons, making them the "class" of a generally mediocre American League East. By the end of the day on Monday, we will at least have some measure of how the Red Sox measure up.

In the interim, here are five questions – and, hopefully, answers – on what we have seen from the Red Sox in the early part of the 2015 season:

1. Amid the recent struggles by Red Sox pitchers, who has been the most worrisome?

That's an easy one: Justin Masterson.

Obviously, Major League Baseball is a results-oriented business. Masterson's first outing looked good on paper -- six innings, two runs, seven strikeouts -- but the velocity and finish on his pitches was inconsistent. The next time out, both were more consistent … as in consistently poor. For a guy who once threw in the mid-90s when he wanted to, the loss of velocity and, just as important, finish is a disturbing sign.

Look, some guys can throw 87-88 mph and get away with it, because the ball snaps through the strike zone and they have excellent command, control or both. At the moment, Masterson doesn't consistently appear to possess either. If that doesn't change, it won't be long before he's on the outside of the rotation looking in.

2. Have the Sox missed Christian Vazquez at all?

Of course, it's impossible to know how Vazquez might have performed offensively. Currently, Sox catchers Ryan (Spanky) Hanigan and Sandy Leon are batting just .167 and have an OPS of .509, the latter of which ranks 10th in the league. But offense hasn't been a problem for this team and Vazquez was slated to bat ninth, anyway.

Defensively, Hanigan and Leon have done a capable job overall, throwing out three of six base stealers. And before anyone blames the game-calling, it's hard to pin anything on the catchers when Sox pitchers have been throwing meatballs over the last five days or so.

One thing: In New York, Clay Buchholz threw off-speed in to the left-handed Chase Headley and gave up a home run. Wade Miley did the same thing in Boston against the Nationals – off-speed in on right-handed batters – and got punished for it. Both Buchholz and Miley have the capacity to run off-speed pitches away from hitters who hit from the opposite side, and bringing the short field in play in New York (right field) or Boston (left field) seems rather dumb.

It's hard to know who's making those decisions or what the game plan is, but this is not the kind of staff that's going to blow the ball by anyone. Can the Sox at least pitch a little smarter in some cases?

3. Has the bullpen been as good as the numbers suggest?

In a word, no. But that doesn't mean the relievers have been bad, either.

At the moment, Sox relievers rank seventh in the American League with a 2.97 ERA, though bullpen ERA can be deceiving for obvious reasons. Given the shortness of outings, one bad inning can badly skew the numbers.

The more important number? A 2-0 record. Certainly, the Sox blew multiple late-inning leads in the opener at New York last week, but the relievers held on enough for the Sox to win the game. The absence of losses means the bullpen hasn't really blown a game yet, which is obviously another important factor for a team built on offense. If you look at bullpen won-lost as a plus-minus statistic of sorts, the Sox are the only team in the AL at the moment to be at plus-2.

Nonetheless, given the strength of the Boston offense, keeping games close is also important for this bullpen. On Wednesday, the Sox had trimmed an 8-2 deficit to 8-5 when Robbie Ross gave up a back-breaking, two-run homer. Overall, Sox relievers have allowed five home runs, second-most in the league. It's still hard to know whom manager John Farrell can completely rely on in his relief corps, and the early-season workload has been considerable. The latter is not the relievers' fault, but it may contribute to ineffectiveness as we go.

4. Is the clock ticking on Shane Victorino?

Victorino's defense has been good in the early stages of the season, which is certainly a positive sign. However, Victorino is now just 3-for-23 with zero extra-base hits and a .416 OPS at the plate, numbers that pale in comparison to the .333 average (5-for-15) and .812 OPS posted by Daniel Nava.

Obviously, the Sox have plenty of people who can hit in their lineup, so Victorino certainly hasn't hurt them. But Rusney Castillo was batting .417 before he jammed his shoulder at Triple-A Pawtucket and finished spring training with a flourish. Victorino currently has an on-base percentage of .176 against right-handed pitching – three of his four walks have come against left-handers – and one can't help but wonder if and when the Sox decide to give more playing time to Nava or Castillo – or both.

5. Has Hanley Ramirez been caught loafing yet?

Well, that all depends on how you define "caught." Certainly, Ramirez has loafed. But it hasn't hurt the club at all.

As we noted yesterday, go back and look at the Nationals' six-run rally in the third inning on Wednesday. Miley gave Ramirez a workout by repeatedly allowing rockets into the left field corner, but Ramirez wasn't setting any records in pursuit of the ball from the start, either. A speed walker might have beaten Ramirez to the ball on more than occasion, though there was little if any damage done as a result of Hanley's nonchalance.

Obviously, Ramirez has embraced his role in Boston – which is to hit and produce runs. Thus far, in eight games, he has eight runs scored, nine RBI, four home runs, 10 hits and a .953 OPS. As long as Ramirez produces at something close to that pace, we'll all be fine with his flaws, which have been well-documented and noted. Still, it will be interesting to see how he responds the first time he has to charge a ball and make an important throw to the plate – or when his defense costs the Sox a game – and he is criticized for it.

Tony Massarotti co-hosts the Felger and Massarotti Show on 98.5 The Sports Hub weekdays from 2-6 p.m. Follow him on Twitter @TonyMassarotti. You can read more from Tony by clicking here.

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