Boston Red Sox: 3 positive takes from Game 66 loss to White Sox
The Boston Red Sox bats struggled with runners in scoring position in the 5-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox in the rubber game of the weekend series at Fenway Park.
Where has all the Boston Red Sox offense gone? Well, some of it is sitting in the dugout in the name of Mookie Betts.
With Betts not in the lineup, the Sox offense has sputtered a bit over the last few games, particularly with runners in scoring position. Over the last four games, including Sunday’s 5-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox, the Red Sox are 2-for-37 with runners in scoring position.
That won’t get it done even against the lesser teams in the league.
"“You need to score runs to win game,” Andrew Benintendi said following Sunday’s game, via MLB.com. “And when you’re 1-for-26 [with RISP in the series], you don’t tend to do that. So nothing we can do about it now, just have to move on to tomorrow.”"
While the offense hasn’t been doing their part over the last few games, the starting pitching hasn’t helped in the first inning of ballgames.
Once again, the team fell behind in the first inning after starter Rick Porcello surrendered an earned run. The Sox bats did immediately tie it up in the second, but went on to squander opportunities throughout the rest of the game.
Although Porcello did allow the early run, he was solid for the rest of the game. He gave up an unearned run in the third and another earned run in the sixth inning, but pitched well enough to win. In six innings pitched, he allowed five hits, three runs (two earned), walked three and struck out five batters.
The team did get within a run, but the White Sox extended their lead to 5-2 in the ninth inning on a two-run double off the bat of Daniel Palka. That is typically how things work out when a team goes 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and leaves 12 men on base.
While these slumps happen in baseball, it would be nice if they break out of it heading into Baltimore to start a three-game series against the Orioles.