Another Strong Kutter Crawford Starts Falls Through Cracks For Red Sox

Kutter Crawford hadn't performed up to his own standards after the MLB All-Star break. Since then, the Boston Red Sox right-hander turned a corner.

Crawford allowed at least four runs in his first five outings since the break and allowed 13 home runs in that span. Now over his last three starts, the Red Sox righty has allowed three runs or less. That includes a fantastic outing on Thursday night against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Crawford allowed just two earned runs across 6 2/3 innings of work at Fenway Park but took the loss on a night where the Red Sox lineup went quiet in a 2-0 loss to end the series.

"I thought it was quality," Crawford told reporters, per NESN's postgame coverage. "I made some pitches when I needed to. Couple missed locations there to Vlad (Guerrero Jr.) and Ernie Clement with the runner on second. They put good swings on them. Overall, I felt like it was definitely a step in the right direction."

While the offense could not find a gear on Thursday, Crawford's mindset remains on turning in quality outings to give the Red Sox a chance to win.

"Baseball's a game of waves, it's high and lows on both the pitching and the hitting side," Crawford said. "I think that's just kind of where we're at right now with the offense. They're competing. The pitching staff, we're doing everything we can to try to keep us in the ballgame because we know the offense has carried us as well. Just not clicking together."

The Red Sox fell to 3 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot and look to make up ground heading into a weekend three-game series in Detroit against the Tigers.