The Boston Red Sox might not get a warm welcome back to Fenway Park on Friday.
After losing two out of three in their opening series in Cincinnati, the Red Sox were swept in their three-game series in Houston. They will have a 1-5 record when they return home to begin a three-game set against the San Diego Padres.
Boston isn’t playing well in any facet of the game so far this season. The lineup predictably lacks pop, the starting rotation has looked shaky, and defense remains an issue despite offseason efforts to improve in that area. There’s plenty of time to turn things around, but it’s fair to wonder whether chief baseball officer Craig Breslow & Co. made the right moves to build off last season.
What should we make of the Red Sox’ woeful stretch? Here are five instant takeaways from the Astros’ sweep:
1. So much for “run prevention”
“I don’t think there’s a question anymore that the identity of our team and the strength of our team is going to be our pitching and our ability to prevent runs,” Breslow said shortly after the club signed left-hander Ranger Suarez.
It’s still early, but that quote hasn’t aged well. The Red Sox allowed 23 runs in their three-game series against the Astros. They’ve let up 12 home runs over their first six games, the most in MLB.
Their offseason pitching acquisitions — Suarez, Sonny Gray, and Johan Oviedo — have allowed a combined 11 earned runs over 12 innings. The defense hasn’t helped matters as it has committed five errors in six games, tied for the third-most in the league.
Pitching should still be a strength for Boston this season, but to say the rotation has disappointed since Garrett Crochet’s Opening Day performance would be an understatement.
2. New guys still struggling
The Red Sox’ offseason additions have gotten off to a slow start. Caleb Durbin is 0-for-18 with five strikeouts, and Willson Contreras is 3-for-20 with six Ks. Both Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez struggled in their first Sox starts, and Oviedo got shelled in his relief outing on Monday.
Gray will get the chance to bounce back in Friday’s home opener. Suarez is also scheduled to pitch in the series against San Diego.
3. Red Sox haven’t figured out ABS
Boston’s usage of ABS challenges has been a head-scratcher. Hitters have been far too comfortable with burning challenges on borderline pitches in the early innings.
The most glaring example was Ceddanne Rafaela’s challenge in the third inning of Game 2 in Houston. Rafaela challenged a strike call on the first pitch of his at-bat and lost, then ended up striking out looking on a pitch down the plate.
Rafaela chases more than just about anyone in MLB, so he probably shouldn’t be getting the green light to challenge borderline pitches. Overall, Red Sox batters are 2-for-5 on ABS challenges so far this season.
4. Bounce-back year for Connor Wong?
Other than Wilyer Abreu (three homers), the Red Sox’ offense has been carried by… Connor Wong?
That’s right. Wong was a bright spot for the offense in this series, going 3-for-6 with two doubles and an RBI in his two starts. He was a late addition to Boston’s lineup on Wednesday after manager Alex Cora made the curious decision to bench Carlos Narvaez.
Wong is 5-for-10 with three doubles through four games played.
5. Roman Anthony can’t be the savior
A heavy load was put on 21-year-old star Roman Anthony’s shoulders heading into this season. The Red Sox didn’t do much to improve their lineup, instead leaning on Anthony to provide most of the pop in his first full MLB campaign.
Anthony is 5-for-22 (.227) with 11 strikeouts through six games. Astros ace Hunter Brown struck him out three times on the minimum nine pitches in Tuesday’s loss, and he later struck out a fourth time.
This isn’t a knock on Anthony. He’ll be just fine. Rather, it’s an observation of just how bad this Red Sox lineup can look when Anthony is going through a slump. It’s going to be ugly at times this season.
Anthony hit a solo shot in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s game for his first homer of the year. It was too little, too late, as the Red Sox lost 6-4.
