AL East Roundup: Blue Jays hanging in

The Boston Red Sox

Apr 15, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop

wearing number 42 for

takes a moment to remember the Boston Marathon bombing during the fourth inning against the Washington Nationals at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports started out in 2015 the way many baseball enthusiasts expected. They hit. In the opening series, against one of baseball’s worst teams in the Philadelphia Phillies, the Sox took two of three to win the series before advancing to New York to face the Yankees where they also followed suit. Just for good measure, the Red Sox returned home and took two of three from the World Series favourite Washington Nationals.

Boston Red Sox

In nine games, the Red Sox have played to a +4 run differential and 9-6 record. Leading the way is the surprise utility man Brock Holt who’s had a .414/.433/.483 slash.

Both Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez have made significant contributions to their new club with Sandoval hitting a .264/.350/.283 slash and Ramirez smashing a team leading five home runs.

As expected, the Sox’s pitching appears to be their achilles heal. Their team ERA of 4.44 ranks 24th across the entire major leagues. But hey, if you can put up five runs per game, it might not matter if you have a below average pitching staff.