Rays @ Red Sox Game Thread/ 2nd - 4th June 2023

Poor fundamentals, sloppy play prove embarrassing mix for Red Sox | McAdam

Updated: Jun. 04, 2023, 6:17 p.m.|Published: Jun. 04, 2023, 5:57 p.m.

By

Sean McAdam | sean.mcadam@masslive.com

BOSTON - Imagine if the Red Sox hadn’t focused on defense in spring training? Imagine how bad they might be then?

After poor fundamentals and shoddy fielding helped contribute to a last-place finish in 2022, Alex Cora properly spent much of February and March emphasizing the importance of improving the team’s defense. There were early-morning drills and plenty of attention to detail in spring training.

Thus far, however, there’s been little noticeable improvement on the field. In a candid moment before a game last week, Cora confirmed as much when he said: “We are not a good defensive team.’'

To buttress his argument, he noted that the team ranked near the bottom in both defensive runs saved and outs above average, two key defensive metrics.


The play of the Red Sox this weekend has done little to convince anybody otherwise. In the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, the Red Sox fell behind 4-0, in part because of yet two more throwing errors by shortstop Kiké Hernández. (Eventually, the Sox overcame the misplays for a comeback win).

But if Saturday stood as an example of the impact of physical mistakes, Sunday was far more troubling, since the 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays stood as a master class in how not to perform as a major league-caliber team, highlighted by some cartoonish play in the field.

One play in particular stood out, in the way a stinking pile of garbage might on an otherwise well-maintained city block.

In the sixth inning, the Red Sox more closely resembled the Bad News Bears than any approximation of a major league team. When it was mercifully over - following some comical overthrows and inattentive play on the part of the home team - the Rays had somehow used a runner on first and a two-out single to account for two runs.

In addressing his team’s shortcomings, Cora spoke in a measured way. He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t pound the table. He didn’t specifically call out any single player. But there was no mistaking his frustration, which came to sound more like disgust even as his tone remained calm.

Cora had a 14-year career despite averaging four homers per season because he was attentive and had great instincts. That reputation led to a handful of teams pursuing him as a major league manager after just one year of big league coaching experience.

Now, he gets to watch all of this.

“I don’t like it, man. I don’t like it,” said Cora afterward. “I’ve seen that kind of play too much in the last two years. You’ve got to throw the ball to right base, you’ve got back up (throws), you cannot become a spectator. You’ve got places to go in every play in baseball...It’s not good baseball, bottom line.”

Physical errors are going to happen to the best defenders, of which it might be said there are few on the Boston roster. But far worse are the plays in which players appear unaware of where they should be, or what they should do next.


That was exemplified when Connor Wong attempted to throw out a baserunner looking to advance to second, only to have his throw sail wide of the target, and roll into deep center field where, somehow, no outfielders were stationed.

“We threw the ball away to second,” said Cora, “and then we were just watching, like the rest of the 35,000 people here.”

Poor fundamentals were on display in the third, too. With runners at the corners and one out, Brandon Lowe hit a fly ball to medium center. Duran fired home without a chance to cut down Christian Bethancourt, enabling trail runner Diaz to move up to second.

“At the end, it’s on me,” concluded Cora. “I’m the manager of this club and we’ve been sloppy. It’s not about pointing fingers. The roster is the roster and we have to play better baseball. But I’m the manager of this team, and defensively, we’re not good. We’re not. We’ll keep working and we’re going to coach the players until we get it right. When? I don’t know. If it’s tomorrow, it’s 59 games too late.”

While Cora was quick to assume the responsibility for his team’s lapses, his players insisted that they were to blame.

“Obviously, (a manager or coach may) try to take the load of it,” said Alex Verdugo. “They say, ‘Oh, it’s on me.’ But the way I think in my mind, how is it on him? You’re not out there playing where I am. You’re not out there on the field doing the defense. Yeah, it’s on him to make the right calls and to put the right people that he feels necessary at that point, whether it’s a pitcher or a pinch hitter or things like that. That’s where he controls the game.

“But at the end of the day, we are the players. We are the ones who have to go out there and make the play and get it done. We can talk about it all we want, but we got to be better.”

That was the idea in February and March, too. But here we are in June and the problem hasn’t gone away.

Vows to improve haven’t worked. Neither has extra work before games. The Red Sox are running out of excuses, solutions, and ultimately, time.