Craig Breslow expecting Red Sox' 'exciting brand of baseball' to stick around

The Boston Red Sox season is in its infancy, but through nearly a week of action they’ve offered reason for optimism.

The top concern entering the season, the starting rotation, has been Boston’s biggest strength through six games. The combination of Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta, Kutter Crawford, Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck was stellar one turn through the rotation, giving the Red Sox an opportunity to win every night.

Boston sits at 4-2 on the season entering the finale of their series against a terrible A’s team. Their two losses were against the Mariners, a team that should be competing for a postseason spot and has one of the better rotations in the game. Even then, the Red Sox were in both games until the end.

There’s a long way to go, but going purely off what we’ve seen in games that matter, there is reason to have some excitement around the Red Sox. Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow said Wednesday on The Greg Hill Show that while it’s early, there’s widespread belief within the team.

“Yeah, I mean we talked for the last couple weeks about how everyone was super excited about Opening Day, and how once we start playing meaningful games, games that matter in the standings, it doesn’t matter what the projections say, what we’re supposed to be,” Breslow said. “It only matters what we go out and do.

“It’s really, really early right now, but I think what we’re seeing is a starting staff that’s keeping us in games. Now we’re six games in, Bello has thrown twice and everyone else has been one turn through. It seems like one guy has been better than the next – whether that was Bello on Opening Day or Pivetta’s incredible performance despite the one-run loss, turning it over to Crawford and then Whitlock and Houck.

“We believe in each other, the guys believe in each other and they’re holding each other accountable. I think we’re seeing a really exciting brand of baseball being played, and one that should stick around.”

The Red Sox were taking a calculated risk going into the season with a largely unproven rotation. But each arm boasts plenty of upside, it is just a matter of putting things together. It’s too early to say for sure that’s what’s unfolding, but if nothing else, the first week of the season has offered a glimpse into what the Red Sox were envisioning with their group of starters.