Red Sox continue to toil in mediocrity at important tentpole of season
Memorial Day has come and gone, and the Boston Red Sox have now been a disappointment for a third of the 2025 MLB season. It's fair to wonder if the team is going anywhere but in a big circle of mediocrity as we hit an important point of the season.
Over a long 162-game season, Memorial Day is seen as the first tentpole of the playoff race. We have a two-month sample size which is usually a pretty good indication of what's to come the rest of the way. Big runs and larger collapses are still possible in the standings, but where teams are near the end of May can give fans a good idea of the summer ahead.
As of right now, the Red Sox are in baseball purgatory. They're not a bad team by definition (the 9-45 Colorado Rockies set a high bar for being bad this season), but they certainly aren't a very good one at 27-29. That sub-.500 record has Boston sitting in fourth place in the AL East and 7.5 games behind the first-place New York Yankees. The Red Sox are 2.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot in the American League.
Boston has a 25.3 percent chance at making the playoffs this season, according to FanGraphs.
Maybe the team is gearing up for another stellar June and July. Last year's Red Sox were 29-29 at the end of May, and then went 24-14 from the start of June to the All-Star Break. But more mediocrity followed as the team quickly ran out of gas, and they were back at .500 by the start of September.
This year's Red Sox team came into the season with high expectations and aspirations for October baseball. But they simply haven't been good enough on a number of levels, and Memorial Day brought another frustrating loss, 3-2, to the Brewers in Milwaukee.
Complementary baseball has escaped the Red Sox all season, and did so again Monday when the team wasted another gem by Garrett Crochet. On a day when Crochet looked like an ace on the mound, the Red Sox bats went silent yet again.
"Right now, we're not putting a complete game together," manager Alex Cora said after the loss -- Boston's third straight. "You look around, it's just up and down. We haven't been consistent offensively the last three days, and that's the reason we haven't scored too many."
The Boston offense took a massive hit late last week when third baseman Alex Bregman landed on the IL with a right quad strain. Bregman has been the team's most consistent bat all season, and has provided Rafael Devers with some protection in the lineup.
The Red Sox have been held to one run in two of their four games since Bregman landed on the shelf. Over that span, the team is just 3-for-29 with runners in scoring position.
The issues are aplenty with the Red Sox, and it doesn't sound like Cora has many answers at the moment.
Red Sox not hitting with runners in scoring position
After going 2-for-20 with runners in scoring position over the final three games of a four-game series against the Orioles, the Red Sox went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position on Monday. The team's lone hit came in the top of the ninth when Jarren Duran singled in a run to make it a 3-2 game. Two batters later, after Devers was intentionally walked to load the bases, Connor Wong harmlessly flew out to right field to end the game.
Boston had plenty of opportunities to pull even or ahead on Monday. The Red Sox had runners on the corners in the top of the second, but the struggling Trevor Story popped out and Abraham Toro grounded out to end the threat. The Red Sox had two on and one out in the top of the seventh in a 1-0 game, but Duran grounded into an uncharacteristic inning-ending double play.
The Red Sox stranded 10 runners on Monday, and have left 30 on base over their last four games.
Story, Campbell slumping for Boston
Two of Boston's seven hits on Monday actually came off the bats of two players who are struggling the most right now: Trevor Story and rookie Kristian Campbell.
Story was back in the lineup after a day off on Sunday, and went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. But for the month of May, he's slashed just .163/.212/.213 with just two extra-base hits (a homer and a double) and 28 strikeouts. He's hitting just .200 with runners in scoring position for the season (11-for-55) with 20 punchouts.
Story's 65 strikeouts on the season are tied for the fourth-most in baseball. He's on pace to strike out 188 times.
The struggling Campbell continues to hit in the middle of the Boston lineup despite hitting a wall the last month. He drove in Boston's first run Monday when he beat out a double play for an RBI groundout in the top of the eighth, but Campbell has slashed just .113/.160/.155 in May. He has just one extra-base hit for the month while striking out 20 times.
And with runners in scoring position, Campbell is just 9-for-55 (a .164 average) with 17 strikeouts this season.
Ups and downs are expected from a rookie breaking into the big leagues, and the easiest solution is to drop Campbell in the lineup. He hit .358 over his 45 at-bats in the seventh spot in the lineup, but has hit just .178 over 123 at-bats while batting fourth, fifth, or sixth in the order.
It's a different story for Cora with his struggling shortstop. Story is signed for two more years at $25 million, and at some point his struggling bat will outweigh the hefty price tag the team is paying him. Benching the veteran won't be easy, but Cora might not have a choice if Story's struggles continue.
Losing one-run games
Monday's loss to the Brewers was the 20th one-run game the Red Sox have been a part of this season. The team is just 6-14 in those contests, giving Boston the most one-run losses in baseball.
Winning close games is a calling card for a good team and one with the makeup to make it to October. The Red Sox have not been one of those teams so far this season.
Red Sox squander another Crochet day
One reason Boston sits under .500 this season is because the team keeps wasting solid outings from Crochet.
Over his last six starts, Crochet has allowed just nine runs over 38 innings -- good for a 2.13 ERA -- while striking out 45 batters and issuing just nine walks. Outside of the leadoff homers he's allowed in two of his last four starts, Crochet has been nails and everything the Red Sox have needed.
But the Red Sox keep squandering his stellar starts. Over those last six Crochet outings, Boston is just 2-4. Despite a 2.04 ERA over his 12 starts this year, Crochet's record sits at just 4-4.
Crochet has put the team on his shoulders and given the Red Sox a chance to win every time he has taken the mound. It's time for Boston to start taking full advantage of their ace in the hole, or the steps taken to preserve the 25-year-old for a playoff run will have been a complete waste of time.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
17 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas is 'living my worst nightmare' as he embarks on injury rehab
BOSTON — Triston Casas isn't happy about having to watch the remainder of the Boston Red Sox's season following season-ending knee surgery . But he's ready to attack the rehab from his second major injury in two years head on. Casas spoke to reporters Tuesday for the first time since having the procedure last month to repair the ruptured left patellar tendon he injured running to first base after hitting a slow ground ball and then falling awkwardly during Boston's win over Minnesota on May 2. He was carted off the field and taken to a hospital for testing. He had surgery two days later. He was still using crutches Tuesday and said he will be off them soon. He will then head to the Red Sox's spring training facility in Fort Myers, Florida, where he'll spend most of this summer and the offseason undergoing rehab. The 25-year-old plans to be ready in time for opening day next season. 'I'm living my worst nightmare right now to go through a double-digit recovery that's months long,' Casas said Tuesday. 'But going through it now, I feel like I'm going to be better as a consequence of it. It's just part of the game. It's part of running hard down the line. Part of just playing the game how you feel like it should be. I wouldn't have changed anything about it. It's just a move that I've done a thousand times. ... It's just onward from here, I guess.' The first baseman batted just .182 with three homers and 11 RBIs prior to the injury, but the biggest void he left is on defense. The Red Sox have explored multiple options to replace him, including initially asking Rafael Devers to learn the position after he was replaced at third by offseason, free-agent acquisition Alex Bregman , and moved to DH. Since Casas' injury, Abraham Toro has split time at first along with Romy Gonzalez. Casas is attacking this latest injury setback just a year removed from missing a large portion of last season with torn cartilage in his rib cage. 'I'd rather be out there helping the team win games,' Casas said. 'But considering everything that's happened I'm in a good headspace. Just focused on making a healthy comeback and progressing every day in whatever fashion it is and trying to fill my time and get better any way that I can.' He said the recovery timeline he was given has varied in length, but hasn't been anything over a year. 'As of right now, our goal is opening day next year,' Casas said. 'So, I'm going to take it slow. Going to spend the winter in Fort Myers rehabbing and until then just try to stay in a positive mindset. I know there's a lot of healing that's done outside of the training table. So I think I'm trying to take it one day at a time, be positive and maintain a good headspace is going to be important as well.' ___ AP MLB:
USA Today
34 minutes ago
- USA Today
Insider names several realistic center options for the Lakers
Insider names several realistic center options for the Lakers Upgrading the center position will obviously be job one for the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason. It remains to be seen how they go about doing so. They could get the job done by acquiring a serviceable center who can play about 25 minutes a game and also obtaining another big man who could play about 15 minutes a game at the 5. Or the Lakers could take a big swing at a borderline All-Star or All-Star-caliber center who can be somewhat of a scoring threat in addition to a defensive presence and a strong rebounder. In a recent article, Khobi Price of the Orange County Register named several centers that could be realistic targets for Los Angeles. Daniel Gafford of the Dallas Mavericks and the Brooklyn Nets' Nic Claxton, both of whom have been linked to the team, were his two most realistic trade targets, and he wrote that veteran Atlanta Hawks big man Clint Capela could be an option for the team's mid-level exception (h/t Lakers Daily). Via Orange County Register: "Capela, 31, has declined as a player over the last couple of seasons," Price wrote. "His 2024-25 averages of 8.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, a blocked shot and 21.4 minutes were his lowest marks since early in his career. Onyeka Okongwu took over the Atlanta Hawks' starting center spot from Capela in late January before Capela missed the final month of the season because of a ligament injury in his left hand. "But Capela is still a reliable defender, especially near the rim, and he could be a low-minute starter or high-minute reserve. He's not a good long-term starting center solution, but he could be a good candidate for the $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception the Lakers will have at their disposal." Price also named several other centers that could be secondary options for L.A. 'Honorable mentions: Orlando's Goga Bitadze (two years, $15.3 million for 2025-27); Brooklyn's Day'Ron Sharpe (potential restricted free agent); Luke Kornet (unrestricted free agent); Larry Nance Jr. (unrestricted free agent); Precious Achiuwa (unrestricted free agent),' Price wrote. Bitadze, who plays for the Orlando Magic, could be an interesting prospect. He will turn 26 years of age on July 20, and he averaged 7.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 20.4 minutes a game while shooting 61.1% from the field this season. Sharpe, 23, has been mentioned as someone the Lakers had interest in not too long ago. He registered 7.9 points, 6.6 points, 0.8 blocks and 0.8 steals in 18.1 minutes per game this season with the Nets. Nance once played for the Lakers for two seasons and change, starting with the 2015-16 campaign, when he was a rookie. He's undersized at 6-foot-8, but he weighs 245 pounds and can play both the 4 and 5, and he has become a very good 3-point shooter over the last year or two. He's not a rim protector, but he's a decent rebounder, and he can be a lob threat near the basket, which is one skill set L.A. is prioritizing at the center position.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Shaquille O'Neal Subtly Endorses Former Warriors Coach for Knicks Job
Shaquille O'Neal Subtly Endorses Former Warriors Coach for Knicks Job originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Knicks made headlines across the NBA world on Tuesday after news hit that they had decided to fire head coach Tom Thibodeau. Advertisement This decision came following the Knicks' heartbreaking loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals and after Thibodeau's five-year reign as head coach. Naturally, the basketball world is already talking about who the Knicks should name as Thibodeau's successor. Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal appears to have made his choice after sharing a strong endorsement video via his Instagram stories not long after the Thibodeau news broke. O'Neal did not caption his post, but it seems clear that the four-time NBA champ wants to see former Golden State Warriors shot-caller Mark Jackson take the helm in New York. O'Neal shared a video strongly advocating Jackson as Thibodeau's successor for the Knicks. The clip highlights Jackson's achievements for the Warriors, where he served as head coach for three seasons between 2011 and 2014. Advertisement Jackson may not have won a championship with Golden State, but the former All-Star point guard is widely credited for playing a pivotal role in laying the foundations of the Stephen Curry-led Warriors dynasty. ESPN analyst Mark Jackson (left), commentator Jeff Van Gundy (center) and play-by-play announcer Mike Breen during game three of the 2023 Western Conference finals.© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images It is worth noting that Jackson also started his playing career with the Knicks as the team's first-round pick in the 1987 NBA Draft. He won Rookie of the Year in his first season with the Knicks and was named an All-Star in his sophomore campaign. Jackson suited up for New York for five years at the start of his career, and another couple of seasons toward the tail end of his NBA tenure. A return to the Knicks as a head coach would be a full-circle moment of sorts for the 60-year-old. Advertisement Related: Shaquille O'Neal Issues Apology to Tyrese Haliburton After Pacers-Knicks Game Related: Indiana Fever React to Caitlin Clark's Antics in Pacers-Knicks Game Related: Reggie Miller Didn't Hesitate Calling Out Knicks Fans After Pacers' Win This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
