Alex Cora On What Went Wrong For Michael Wacha In Red Sox Loss

There are plenty of storylines to come out of the Boston Red Sox’s, 6-5, walk-off loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Bullpen struggles, availability concerns, etc. But what has been lost among the chaos has been the play of Michael Wacha, who didn’t have his best stuff, but according to manager Alex Cora, gave the Red Sox a chance to win.

“Command was off. Teoscar (Hernandez) hit a ball at the end that almost went out. It wasn’t working, (the Blue Jays) did a good job of going the other way with him,” Cora said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “But he gave us five. He gave us a chance to win, but I think his command — early on — was off.”

Wacha seemingly had base runners on at every turn, as he gave up seven hits and walked three in five innings pitched. His four earned runs fall just one short of his season-high, which shows just how solid he’s been through the first three months of the year. Following Wacha’s departure, the Red Sox did obtain the lead, serving Cora’s point that he gave them a chance to win. Unfortunately, things unraveled from there.

Prior to the game, Cora mentioned that the Red Sox would be looking to give Wacha an extra day of rest before his next start, leading to the possibility of another Connor Seabold outing. Following an uncharacteristic performance from the 30-year old, that possibility is looking more and more likely.