The Red Sox are struggling in all aspects of the game right now, which is exactly how they find themselves on a seven-game losing streak. Boston will try to end that skid Friday night, and an offensive awakening certainly would help.
Scoring runs has been an issue for the Red Sox, with just 16 in those seven losses. They scored 13 in their first winless homestand since 1994. Rookie infielder Xander Bogaerts leads the team with a .282 batting average, and the Red Sox rank 13th in the American League in both runs scored and batting average.
Saying they’re slumping right now would be an understatement.
The Red Sox aren’t getting much of anything from anyone in the lineup, and that includes designated hitter David Ortiz. He’s hitting .275 and is in the middle of a 3-for-26 slump during the losing streak, with all three of those hits being singles.
“It’s like a disease going around,” Ortiz said after Thursday’s loss, according to WEEI.com. “Nobody’s really doing much. We need to go back in and try to do something, something different.”
Ortiz and the Red Sox will have another chance to turn things around Friday night when they visit Tampa Bay. The Rays will send Chris Archer to the hill, and maybe that will jump-start Ortiz. The Boston slugger is 3-for-8 with five RBIs in his career against the young right-hander.
“It’s just one of those times, you know, we go through this bump in the road as we call it,” Ortiz said. “Just got to bounce back (Friday), be better, execute better as pitchers and get a ‘W’ out of the way.
“I don’t think about it. Just keep on swinging. I will get hot. Trust me.”
Right about now would be a good time for that to happen.
