Never count out the Red Sox

Here is the lineup the Red Sox used on Wednesday:

Ellsbury CF, Scutaro SS, Ortiz DH, Martinez C, Drew RF, Beltre 3B, Lowell 1B, Kalish LF, Hall 2B

If that lineup seems a little bit out of the ordinary, you are right. However, abnormal batting orders have not been out of the ordinary for the Red Sox this season. They have used 94 different batting orders this season, compared to 74 for the division rival Yankees.

2010 has been an unstable year for the Red Sox. Thursday, the Red Sox lost Kevin Youkilis for the rest of the season, just a day after they activated Jacoby Ellsbury off the disabled list, and just days after Mike Cameron went back on the DL.

The Red Sox have just three players who have played more than 95 games this season, one of which is Kevin Youkilis. The Yankees, on the other hand, have six players who have played more than 95 games.

However, through all the unstableness, the Red Sox have still managed to prevail. Just six games back in the American League East, the Red Sox are anything but out of the race.

The Red Sox pitching staff has been somewhat solid this season: Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz both have ERA’s of around three.

The bullpen has also been a strong point for the Red Sox. After a few shaky outings by Jonathan Papelbon, he has managed to put together a solid 2.98 ERA and 25 saves.

Even though the Red Sox have never had a solid offense, they have still put together a fantastic offensive season: they are second in the league in runs scored and home runs.

If you had to pick a very bright spot for the 2010 Red Sox, it would be Adrian Beltre. In his first season with the Red Sox, he has 19 home runs and an All-Star batting average of .337.

Through much adversity, the Red Sox have put together a magnificent season. They will never “wow” you, but at the end of the day, the Red Sox find a way to win every game. The lineup may be deceiving, but the Red Sox are still justifiable contenders in the American League East.

You can e-mail me at jess@jesskcoleman.com or follow me on Twitter @jesskcoleman .