RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Red Sox Offense Vanishes As Losing Streak Reaches Four Games originally appeared on NESN .
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The Boston Red Sox looked nearly unstoppable at the plate when they erupted for 25 runs across two games.
That version of the offense has disappeared.
Boston managed only three runs in Tuesday night’s 5-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, extending its losing streak to four games. The Red Sox have scored three runs or fewer in each defeat, turning one of baseball’s hottest lineups into a group suddenly searching for answers.
It is Boston’s longest losing streak since it dropped four consecutive games from June 7-10. The Red Sox fell to 64-55 and now sit 8.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East. They also have lost the first two games of their four-game series against a Toronto club that entered Tuesday well below .500.
Red Sox Waste Early Lead Against Blue Jays
Boston initially appeared positioned to end its skid. Ceddanne Rafaela opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the third inning. After Toronto tied the game in the bottom half, Wilyer Abreu launched his 21st home run of the season to give the Red Sox a 2-1 advantage.
Rafaela then led off the fifth with a 411-foot solo homer, his 16th of the year, to extend Boston’s lead to two runs. Those two solo shots represented the extent of the Red Sox’s damage.
Boston finished 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine runners despite drawing seven walks. The Red Sox did not score over the final four innings against a Blue Jays bullpen that included Chase Lee, Brendon Little, Braydon Fisher and Spencer Miles.
The missed opportunities were especially costly after Boston built a 3-1 lead against Dylan Cease, who entered the night with a 2.40 ERA and an American League-leading strikeout total. The Red Sox put traffic on the bases. They simply could not deliver the hit that might have changed the game.
Costly Error Helps Toronto Turn Game Around
Patrick Sandoval gave Boston a respectable start, allowing four runs, only two earned, on eight hits over six innings. He struck out four and walked three.
The game began slipping away from the Red Sox in the fifth. Caleb Durbin’s fielding error allowed Myles Straw to reach safely. Charles McAdoo followed with a sacrifice fly before Brett Bateman delivered a game-tying RBI single.
Toronto took the lead one inning later when George Springer walked, advanced to third on Alejandro Kirk’s single and scored on Ernie Clement’s fielder’s choice.
Straw added an insurance run with an RBI double against Seth Martinez in the eighth. Boston’s pitching staff did not surrender a home run, but Toronto collected 10 hits and went 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position. That situational success proved to be the difference.
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Adley Rutschman Reaches Base Three Times In Debut
Adley Rutschman provided one encouraging development in his long-awaited Red Sox debut. The three-time All-Star went 1-for-3 with two walks, reaching base three times in his first game since July 18. Rutschman had been sidelined by left wrist inflammation after Boston acquired him from the Baltimore Orioles at the trade deadline.
His arrival should eventually give the lineup another proven run producer, but even Rutschman could not immediately solve Boston’s recent offensive issues. Willson Contreras, Durbin and Jarren Duran combined to go 1-for-11. Contreras and Durbin each struck out with runners in scoring position, while Duran was caught stealing in the fourth inning.
The Red Sox now have been held to one, three, three and three runs during their four-game slide. That is a jarring reversal after their 25-run outburst created the impression that Boston’s lineup had found another gear.
Instead, the Red Sox have scored only 10 total runs since.
Boston will try to stop the skid Wednesday when left-hander Ranger Suárez takes the mound against Toronto right-hander José Soriano.
The Red Sox still have time to recover, but their margin for error is shrinking. With Tampa Bay pulling away in the division and the New York Yankees sitting ahead of them in the standings, Boston cannot afford to let a brief offensive slump become something much more damaging.
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