After taking two out of three games against the Texas Rangers over the weekend at home, the Boston Red Sox looked like they were turning a corner. They fell short in a sweep on Sunday night, but winning a series is a step in the right direction.
Before departing for a six-game trip out West, the Red Sox opened a three-game series at home against the Toronto Blue Jays. It was a chance to make up some ground in the American League East on one of the teams Boston is chasing.
However, as has been the case in too many games this season, the Red Sox had their chances but couldn’t come up with a big hit when needed. The result was a 6-1 loss, but it was more of the same for Boston, not coming up with a big hit.
Chad Tracy Takes a Positive Route After Boston Red Sox Struggles Against Toronto Blue Jays
Trailing 1-0 into the top of the fifth, Boston certainly had their chances against Blue Jays’ starter Dylan Cease. Against five pitchers, the Red Sox went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left 13 runners on base. To sum things up, Ceddanne Rafaela doubled to lead off the bottom of the third inning, only to be stranded there.
“We gave ourselves chances,” Tracy said. “We’re one big hit away . . . one or two hits away from taking a lead, and we just couldn’t.”
That is a quote that Tracy could honestly recycle over and over this season. The only run the Red Sox could push across was a Jarren Duran solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning when Toronto was holding a 4-0 lead. However, the chances against Cease were wasted. The right-hander walked four and allowed four hits in five innings. Amazingly, he didn’t give up a run.
“Cease can lose the zone at times, but he did a pretty good job,” Tracy said.
Boston Red Sox Running Out of Time To Turn Things Around
Injuries have hurt the Red Sox this season. There’s no doubt about it. However, they are 12-23 at Fenway Park, which is astonishing. It used to be a park that visiting teams feared. Not anymore.
To compound matters, Boston is 6-15 at home in division games, which includes a sweep by the New York Yankees. If you can’t make hay within the division, well, then it might be time to sell and look ahead.
“Things have not gone the way we want them to, but (the situation) is still not insurmountable if we can get ourselves going,” said Tracy. “But at the same time, you’ve got to go. There’s got to be a stretch.”
That stretch needs to begin against Toronto. Boston has two more games against the Blue Jays at home before heading to Seattle and Colorado. The schedule is going to get easier. However, it doesn’t mean much if you can’t take advantage of it.
All of this will help Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow head down a path at the trade deadline. Will they sell, buy, or stand pat? Breslow is still considering his options. A few more nights like Tuesday night will make his decision easier.
Boston Red Sox Interim Manager Chad Tracy Drops Honest Quote After Blue Jays Loss