The struggles continued for Boston Red Sox pitcher Corey Kluber during Sunday’s series-finale loss to the San Diego Padres.
Kluber and the Red Sox played catch-up from the get-go as the Padres rallied in the first inning to score four runs against the right-hander, ultimately haunting him and Boston for the remainder of their 7-0 win. The night was over not too long after it started for Kluber after Red Sox manager Alex Cora yanked him in the third inning.
“Frustrating for me, frustrating for everybody,” Kluber told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “Just done a poor job of I guess finding the correct adjustment to make. Trying different stuff to try to get it done out there but just not quite being able to do it.”
The Padres scored five runs off three hits and three walks against Kluber in 2 1/3 innings. Kluber took home his sixth loss of the season and continued to display the early-season issues with both control and velocity, throwing 35-of-64 pitches for strikes.
“I think that there’s probably some getting in my own way trying to make too many adjustments, but then you try to find that balancing act of finding the right one,” Kluber explained. “I think it boils down to I just gotta do a better job of figuring out how to do it.”
Nevertheless, Kluber is in the clear to continue to work toward improvements, backed by Cora afterward. Cora noted that there are currently no plans in moving Kluber out of the rotation, revealing that he’s expected to make his next scheduled start during Boston’s upcoming series with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“Today, the walks put him in a bad spot,” Cora said postgame, per NESN. “… We’re working hard with him because we know when he’s around the zone, he’s tough to hit. We’re just putting ourselves in a bad spot.”
Kluber is now 2-6 with a 6.26 ERA and 1.54 WHIP through nine starts with the Red Sox.
Meanwhile, Boston failed to record the series sweep over the Padres despite its starters combining for a 2.35 ERA, while the bullpen notched a 1.69 ERA in the three-game set.
