Alex Cora isn’t making excuses for how the Red Sox offense has played of late and continued to repeat himself after Boston’s 6-5 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday night.
The Red Sox, for the second straight night, couldn’t capitalize in big moments against Toronto. They came oh so close to ending the game in the ninth, but, as fans have seen so many times this season, Boston couldn’t put the ball in play.
Just how close did the Red Sox come to winning, you ask? They had a runner on third with nobody out in the eighth and loaded the bases with nobody out in the ninth and failed to score on both occasions.
“It’s got to be better, man. That’s the bottom line. You see the difference with them. You see George (Springer) putting the ball in play,” Cora told reporters after the game, per video provided by the team. “They didn’t get a single in the last inning. It was a ground ball to the shortstop (that) advanced the runner. Put the ball in play with two strikes and great baserunning play and they score.
“Offensively, it’s been going on for a while. We haven’t been good for a while. We’re supposed to hit. It hasn’t happened.”
The Red Sox, specifically over the last two months, have played some of their most desperate baseball. They constantly are swinging at pitches off the plate and trying to hit for the fences, not hit for contact.
But it’s also not even about making contact, it’s about having plate patience — something Cora pointed to Springer having in crucial situations.
“I think we’re better than that. You’ve gotta take your walks, too, in those situations. They’re not going to give in,” Cora said. “Springer walked like three times (Thursday), and he had men in scoring position and just passed the baton. That’s the difference right now between us and other teams.”
The American League wild card continues to become further out of reach for Boston and while it’s not impossible for the Red Sox to get back into the race, they’ll need to figure out how to take advantage of men being on base — especially with nobody out.
The Red Sox’s opponents don’t get any easier as they welcome the Tampa Bay Rays to Fenway Park on Friday night. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET. Friday’s game will be aired on Apple TV+.
