The Boston Red Sox got off to a terrific start, with the best record in baseball through the first month of the growing season at 18-8. But, problems in the bullpen may cause a problem continue, as the position seems to be up in the air. Last offseason, the team dealt an offer of players to the A's for Andrew Bailey to replace the deceased Jonathan Papelbon, who had signed with the Phillies as a free agent. After publishing a ERA and 75 preserves through his first three periods in the group, Bailey fought injuries in 2012 and fought to a 7.04 ERA in just 19 looks last year. Though Bailey was healthier to start the season, the team opted to go an alternative direction in the ninth inning. Two-time All-Star Joel Hanrahan was bought from the Pirates for four people, and quickly became the deeper. Many thought that gave the Red Sox two strong options at the back end of the bullpen, but that has not exactly been the case until now. Hanrahan submitted an 11.57 ERA and converted 3-of-4 save your self chances through his first six hearings before landing on the disabled list with a leg pressure. With five scoreless shows under his belt to begin the season, Bailey slid to the deeper position with Hanrahan on the shelf, and in eight games he'd a 2.25 ERA and turned 5-of-6 save yourself odds. Expected to stay in the ninth inning part, also with Hanrahan straight back, Bailey herself is battling harm and was located on the 15-day DL on Monday with bicep irritation (h/t ESPN). Bailey hasn't pitched since April 28, so he's eligible to come off the DL on May 14. Back the ninth inning part, Hanrahan has made three appearances since returning, allowing four hits and two runs in 2.2 innings while blowing one of his true two save possibilities. If these problems were not poor enough, he left Monday night's game with a right arm pressure, and he too could possibly be headed back once again to the disabled list in the days ahead (h/t ESPN). So where do the Red Sox go from here in the ninth inning? There was a time when Daniel Bard was regarded as the deeper of the potential and one of the most promising young relievers in the game. However, a move into the turning last time threw his career into a tailspin and he is currently in Double-A hoping to get things straight back on the right track. Probably the most likely candidate to dominate at this point seems to be Koji Uehara, who signed a, $4.25 million package as a free of charge agent this offseason. He's been used mainly as a setup man during his time in the MLB, but he has knowledge final dating back to to his time in Japan, as well as the 2010 season when he went 13-for-15 on save your self chances with the Orioles. In 15 appearances in 2013, Uehara has a 2.63 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 13.2 innings of work. These 15 games places him 2nd on the staff to appearances have been made 16 by Junichi Tazawa, who and may also be an applicant for a few late-inning work. A former top probability as a starter, Tazawa eventually found a job in the Boston bullpen last period, creating 37 appearances with a ERA and 45 strikeouts in 44 innings. He's a ERA and 18 strikeouts in 14.1 innings up to now in 2013. Tim Miller (14 G, 3.12 ERA) and Clay Mortensen (12 H, 3.78 ERA) have now been solid as well this year, but are unlikely to see motion in the ninth. Still another option the group may discover is recalling recently demoted Alfredo Aceves and using him as closer, a job last season was filled by him when he turned 25-of-33 chances filling out for Bailey. Considering he was demoted after putting up a ERA through his first five games (three starts), it appears impossible the staff would trust him because role at this point. A dim horse prospect to see time at closer might be leading pitching prospect Allen Webster, who got a spot start already this season and pitched more than six innings. His potential is in the rotation, and the group may not need to throw off his advancement through the minors by putting him in the bullpen, especially after seeing what happened to Bard. But, guys like Adam Wainwright and David Price were competitors out of the bullpen before you go on to be frontline entrepreneurs, and while Webster may not really be on their level, he still has the stuff to get guys out in the ninth. Heading back to the original issue though of whether or not the Red Sox bullpen can survive with out a proven sooner, the solution at this time is we'll have to wait and see. They've several alternatives effective at going in to the part and succeeding, and enough established expert relievers that they can also choose to go with a closer-by-committee for the time being. The ninth inning is a different animal entirely though, and achievement in the centre innings does not always translate, so they may have their hands full in the weeks ahead shuffling the 'pencil around to create things work.
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