Can the Starting Pitching Hold Up?

The beer & chicken crew of 2011 was followed by a year of under-performing starters in 2012. The number one problem for the Red Sox to fix this year was & is the starting pitching. Bringing John Farrell back, or John Wayne as he is called in Francona's book, is a good start. Lester & Buccholz seemed to thrive under Farrell & all signs are that both seem ready to return to form in 2013. John Lackey is coming off Tommy John surgery, still throws a low percentage of strikes (a/k/a wild), but looks to be healthy enough to make his scheduled starts. Ryan Dempster is a good addition of a guy who is an innings-eater like Wake use to be & figures to be around .500 for winning percentage. Felix Doubront came into camp out-of-shape again, but he has looked better in his recent starts. So the question remains - can Lester, Buccholz, Dempster, Doubront & Lackey get the job done? Answer - we'll see. If they can't get the job done, Allen Webster & Rubby De La Rosa are waiting for their turn by the trade deadline.