Hunter Renfroe knows one obvious reason why the Boston Red Sox are struggling.
The Red Sox outfielder highlighted Boston's inability to string together hits as a primary reason for its recent downturn in fortunes. The New York Yankees swept the Red Sox in three games this week, a span in which Boston mustered 17 hits but scored just five runs.
"I think it's kind of what everybody sees," Renfroe told reporters Wednesday night in a video press conference, per MLB.com's Ian Browne. "We're having trouble stringing hits together. When guys get on, we hit into a double play. Or if there are two outs, we are flying out or striking out. I think that's kind of an ordeal that we've been in. It's obviously just a struggle."
The surging Yankees have overtaken the Red Sox for second place in the American League East standings and knocked Boston out of the wild card spots. The frustrated Red Sox have time to recover, and Renfroe recommends they change their mindset in order to boost their chances of breaking out of their slump.
"Yeah, I mean, obviously we're upset," Renfroe said. "We're pretty pissed at ourselves. … But a few weeks of us not playing up to our potential and I think everybody's frustrated with themselves and kind of beating themselves up.
"We're working our tails off in the cage and on the field and trying to do what we can to get better and do better for the team. That's where we're maybe trying to do too much instead of maybe just going out there and relax and just playing our game, because we know we're very, very good."
The Red Sox have an off day Thursday. They'll host the Texas Rangers on Friday at Fenway Park to start a six-game homestand. Renfroe and the rest of Red Sox Nation hope some rest will help wake up Boston's bats and do a world of good overall.
