The Boston Red Sox lost again on Saturday, falling 5-3 to the New York Yankees at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox were unable to rally from a 4-0 deficit, struggling offensively against Max Fried & Co. They clawed back thanks to a pair of solo homers but continued to scuffle with men on base, going 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranding eight runners.
Boston has now lost three in a row and six of its last nine since losing Roman Anthony to an oblique injury.
The Red Sox are simply a different team without their superstar rookie, especially offensively. They’ve averaged just 3.89 runs per game since he went down — well below their season average of 4.90. They’re also 37-41 (.474 winning percentage) without Anthony this year compared to 44-27 (.620) with him.
Boston’s depleted lineup has struggled to pick up the slack in Anthony’s absence. Nearly everyone’s gone cold, including Trevor Story (.235 average), Carlos Narvaez (.227), Alex Bregman (.216), Jarren Duran (.235), Masataka Yoshida (.143), Nate Lowe (.111) and Ceddanne Rafaela (.074).
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Perhaps they’re pressing with Anthony sidelined or wearing down towards the end of the season. Regardless, they’re leaving too many men on base and not hitting for much power.
The Red Sox need someone to step up and help carry the team down the stretch, ideally a veteran like Bregman or Duran. Boston’s leaders need to lead by example if they want to help the team turn things around and make the playoffs with Anthony sidelined.
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The Red Sox will try to salvage Sunday’s series finale behind Garrett Crochet (15-5, 2.57 ERA), who’s coming off one of his best starts of the season. He’ll face rookie Will Warren (8-6, 4.22 ERA), who’s allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight of his last nine starts.
