The Boston Red Sox are enjoying the comforts of Fenway Park this year. But everything changes the minute they leave the city of Boston. The Red Sox are 22-10 at home this year, good for third best in all of baseball behind the Washington Nationals and Chicago White Sox. But they are a disappointing 16-20 on the road. The losing road record is not as bad as it appears to be. There are nine other teams with a .500 or better overall winning percentage that also have a losing record on the road. Two of them are even leading divisions right now, the Nationals and San Diego Padres. The Red Sox hit the road this week for a six game road trip that takes them through Cleveland and Philadelphia. The Indians won their ninth straight game on Sunday and the Phillies are in second place behind the surprising Nationals. They are trying to build upon a 5-1 home stand against NL Central foes Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. But the Red Sox are a different team on the road. It will be a huge test and maybe a major boost if they can play .500 baseball on this trip. During their most recent trip through St. Louis and Chicago, starting pitching was the difference between winning and losing. During their two wins, they gave up a grand total of one run. In their four losses, they surrendered 37 runs including a season high 14 in the first game of the series against the Cubs. Since taking three out of four in Detroit in early May, the Red Sox have lost all but one series they have played in on the road. They lost two of three in Seattle, Oakland and got swept by Toronto to go along with the recent series in St. Louis and Chicago. They rebounded against the Yankees to take the final two games after a disappointing start to the series. So it must be in the stats for the reason that they are struggling. But at first glance, it doesn?t appear that way on the offensive side. The team batting average is .283 at Fenway and .282 on the road. Johnny Damon is leading the team with a .389 average at home while Manny Ramirez has slugged 10 dingers and driven in 33 runs. David Ortiz has hit 11 long balls and driven in 30 runs away from Fenway so far. So that is a wash. But the difference is definitely pitching. At home, the team ERA is 3.94, led by Matt Clement. He is 5-0 at Fenway with a 2.75 ERA. Reliever Mike Myers has yet to give up a run at Fenway this year through 13 appearances. But the minute they board the plane for the road, the ERA jumps up to 5.46. Clement is a respectable 3-1 on the road but his ERA jumps to 4.50. Bronson Arroyo is the ace on the road with a 4-2 record and a 4.30 ERA. Not one starter has an ERA under 4.00 on the road and only two relievers (Mike Timlin and Keith Foulke) fit those criteria. Even more damming is the opponent?s batting average. It is a robust .281 on the road where in Fenway Park, opposing hitters can only must a .264 average. So it is the pitching staff?s fault for the road woes of the Boston Red Sox. The offense needs to score two more runs on the road than at home in order to help the Red Sox win. So what is the solution? Pitch better on the road. Of course, it is easier said than done but the starters need to pitch better and deeper on the road. The Red Sox have veterans that know the rigors of playing on the road. But the key might be the return of Curt Schilling. There are rumblings that he could return prior to the All-Star break. He rushed back too soon after missing a good chuck of spring training. He might again be the key for the Red Sox to defend their World Series title. But the Sox road pitching needs to drastically improve in order for that to happen.