Do or Die???

As comical as it sounds, are the 2011 Boston Red Sox facing a must win series in early April?  The Sox made the biggest off season splash inking Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez to big contracts.  Most experts and talking heads predicted them to win the AL East and the pennant, yet after the first week of the season they are still searching for their first win of the season.

They dropped three in Texas, three in Cleveland, and now host the Yankees for three in their Fenway opener.  The good news is if the Sox drop three more to the Yanks, they get the winless Rays starting Monday.  As silly as it seems to hit the panic button in early April, history is not on Boston's side.

No team that has begun the season at 0-5 or worse has ever reached the World Series.  I'm almost positive most teams that have started 0-6 have been crappy teams.  Boston is different because they have the ability to reel of 18 of 20 or 32 of 40 and completely erase the 0-6 start.

The problem with the Sox has been real simple.  They didn't pitch well in Texas, and they couldn't hit in Cleveland.  Take yesterday, John Lester pitches 7 sharp innings allows no runs and the vaunted Sox lineup can't figure out.......Fausto Carmona?  Through the first six games the Sox look more like the Seattle Mariners offensively.  The only one hitting worth a darn is Adrian Gonzalez.

I think the timing of the skid is what has everyone talking.  Good teams are supposed to come out of the gates at at least .500 through the first week.  At some point during the season even the best teams will lose five in a row or 8 out of 10.  Thankfully for the Sox this isn't the NFL where an 0-3 start essentially eliminates you from the playoffs.  Boston has nearly six months to right this and with their depth and talent and they will.